alles klar.

well, i've been in deutschland for 5 days. it's always so exciting to come back.

tonight i led worship at cc herborn, which was a blessing. it's so fun to hang out with old and new friends there, and to worship with them, of course! i've been meaning to get out there for months.

still no permanent home for me, but i'm happily installed in the villa until further notice- in my old "cupboard" room.

it was amazing to be back at cc siegen again this morning. saw and hugged and talked with so many people, and soaked up the worship and the word and the fellowship and the sunshine. 

tomorrow we're back to work preparing for the semester. looking forward to it. most staff and interns are here already, with a few more coming in the next couple days. only a few students here so far, with the rest coming by friday. orientation is saturday, and classes begin monday.

and i got to see my dear friend michelle! she was visiting germany this month, is now back in peru, but we got to hang out right after i got here for an evening and morning. :) it was great.

so many ministry opportunities are already flying at me for the semester. if you think of me, please pray for wisdom and discernment to say yes to the right things, and to decline the unnecessary things.

time for bed. gute nacht ihr alle!

eure ann.

when peace like a river attendeth my way..

updates!

this afternoon i wrote my latest missionary update. if you don't receive them already, but would like to, please let me know!

also finished my class syllabus- i'm teaching Worship Leading [WO327] on Friday afternoons this semester. and helping with Choir on Wednesday mornings. gonna be good.

my mom and i made some delicious salsa this morning. it's been a good, productive day.

only 4 more nights in my own bed!

dress.

i can't help but share my latest online find. i love dresses, especially vintage-inspired dresses. if you concur, check out shabby apple!

monday.

it's Monday afternoon, and exactly 2 weeks until i depart again for Germany! i'm very excited to head back, but having had a longer-than-usual time here this summer, i'll miss home and family when i leave. nevertheless, on y va!

we just returned from a family vacation [aka Extreme Biking Adventure] in the northwoods of Minnesota. we rented a little cabin on the shores of Lake Itasca, in Itasca State Park, which also includes the headwaters of the Mississippi River. the river is pretty small up there! we walked across it on a log rather hastily, to avoid death-by-mosquito-bites. we biked and canoed and paddle-boated and explored and hung out in the park for a few days.

on Saturday, we packed up and headed northwest to find my great-grandparents' homestead [my mom's dad's parents]. the buildings have recently been knocked down, but we were able to see the land they farmed, and some of my mom's favorite spots to explore as a child. it was great to be up there again; i hadn't been in that part of the state in probably 10 years.

Saturday afternoon we headed into Bemidji, where we met up with some friends at the Calvary Chapel there. i led a worship seminar there all afternoon for their worship team, and was really blessed! i enjoyed meeting all of them and sharing the common ground of worship ministry with them. after hanging out in our hotel room Saturday night, we headed back to CCB for church on Sunday morning, where Tyler and i got to lead the church in worship. it was another sweet time.

the Lord really blessed me as i served up there this weekend. i had been pretty sick on Friday, and was beginning to stress about being able to do an adequate job with the seminar, and especially about having a voice to sing with all weekend! He was so gracious, and enabled me to pour out as i walked in obedience! it was a great lesson in "stirring up the gift that is within you" - especially when you feel like you don't have anything to give. God is always faithful, and i am always blessed to serve Him!

now we're back home, and getting back into the swing of things. i think time is going to fly by in these next two weeks! a couple more weeks of work, a couple birthdays to celebrate, one last time at church, packing, and as much hanging out and enjoying my family as possible are on the agenda.

one new thing i've been checking out is LibriVox- an online audio resource of public domain books! some friends told me about it months ago, and now i'm hooked. you can listen [for free] to a vast array of literature from 1923 and earlier. and it's not just for listening- anyone can also record chapters or even whole books and submit them! it's always been a dream of mine to record "books on tape" - maybe i'll have something up there soon. i think a huge plus would be to have a grandmotherly british accent.. but i'll have to make do with minnesotan.