The Shuman Family

Wrestling Matches

2012-02-11T15:22:00.001-05:00

The wrestling matches come to BFA. Last weekend 4 other schools came to participate in the tournament.

There were 193 matches. That made for a very long day for the wrestlers and fans. Andrew wrestled and Rob worked the scoring table. All in all it was a great day.

birthday!

2012-02-11T15:14:00.001-05:00

Andrew turned 15 in January !!

We still can not believe we have a teen :)

We celebrated with a gluten free chocolate cake topped with chocolate peanut butter frosting, yum !

dorm Cooking

2012-01-28T04:48:00.000-05:00

Thursdays ~ Dorm night ! WE are really enjoying our time on Thursday nights with the guys at HBR dorm. It has been a pleasure getting to know them and their parents as they come for a visit. During study hours Rob helps the guys with homework if they need it and I usually bake and prep lunches for the next morning. Last night I had some help from mom that was there visiting her son for the week. We baked about a 150 muffins, with crazy amounts of flour & butter~~ so glad they have a super huge mixer! The guys had some for a snack after their homework, some went with the wrestling team for their away match in Italy and the rest for Saturday morning breakfast. I really must bring my camera next time !

Photo Class

2012-01-28T04:40:00.003-05:00

This semester I am teaching a photography class at the middle school and here is a photograph of our class. Take note of the sunny day, very very rare this time of year. We worked on an assignment and enjoyed the sun ! ( this is the middle school in the background )

Striking a pose.

Having fun in the SUN !

Checking out some images.

Wrestling

2012-01-27T04:08:00.001-05:00

Guten Morgan,

Please say a prayer or two for the boys Wrestling team, as they head out today for a match 10 hours away in Italy. It seems there is a truckers strike against rising fuel prices and economic reform. Please pray for safety as they travel and for the strike to end. As this affects so many people in Italy. Many roads are blocked, gas stations out of fuel and markets without food. They will be traveling to a US base so I believe once they are they there gas will be available. Andrew is on the team ~ Thank you, worried mom

The Greatest Gift

2011-12-25T05:41:00.000-05:00

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
--Ephesians 2:8, NLT

BFA Christmas Banquest 2011

2011-12-20T17:36:00.001-05:00

Every Year Black Forest Academy holds its annual Christmas Banquet. It is a wonderful night where the students share their musical gifts, the school awards some Christmas wishes and this year the students were given some dance lessons.

No, the dance lessons were not the Chicken Dance. This is the granting of Carl's Christmas wish.

Andrew and Priscilla were the freshmen class king and queen at the Banquet

Andrew and his "brothers" from HBR.

One of Heather on this side of the camera. She spent the remainder of the night photographing the evening for the kids

Rob here grants the girls' wishes of making the daily announcements.

Rob grants a couple of wishes. Here he is in pajamas, as he grants a wish of pajama day at BFA. This one being the playing of the "Friday" song between classes on Friday.

Emmalee gets her Christmas wish as Mr. Greenhoe sings, "It's Not Easy Being Greenhoe!

Elle & Sunshine share a Christmas song with us.

Kandern Decorated for Christmas

2011-12-20T16:48:00.000-05:00

This is a view of Main Street in Kandern.

Elementary School Christmas Concert 2011

2011-12-14T08:28:00.000-05:00

Here are a few images from the Christmas Concert at the Elementary School. The students in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades are a mix of local German children and Missionary Kids in the bi-lingual program. They sang songs both in English and in German. We also had a visit from Frosty the Snowman who through snow balls into the audience ( fake but filled with candy ! )

Dorm Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving comes one week early for dorm students at BFA. We had an opportunity to celebrate with the young men from HBR, Haus Bad Riedlingen, where we spend each Thursday evening. There were about 50 of us who gathered that evening to enjoy sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, rolls and of course turkey and gravy. The gentlemen were just that as we mingled over hors d'oeuvres and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Greg Storrs, the dorm dad, led us in a Thanksgiving Turkey Quiz to decide which table could be first for dessert. With my assistance, the 7 students at my table and I came in last place. Thankfully there was plenty of delicious food and dessert to go around.

Sharing Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T14:56:00.001-05:00

The students at CSK (Christian School Kandern), which is the elementary school that Matthew and Jacob attend, celebrated Thanksgiving the same way they do everything, by blending both German and North American customs. They had traditional Thanksgiving dinner, with turkey and all the fixin's. Then they had games and activities to continue the celebration. Heather had a chance to work with the students on their dessert, a turkey made of rice cakes, marshmallows, candy corn and icing to keep it all together. The students enjoyed both the food and fun.

Dr. Seuss Comes to Kandern

2011-11-23T14:48:00.000-05:00

Approximately 1/3 of the middle school and a good number of high school students, as well as staff, shared their many gifts with the Kandern community through their version of Seussical the Musical. The countless hours of preparation paid off as they blessed us with great acting, singing, dancing and musical accompaniment in 3 nights of sold out shows!

Matthew Gets Baptized!!!!

2011-11-16T15:26:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, 13 November 2011, Rob had the privilege to baptize Matthew. Prior to his baptism, Matthew shared the following:
Hello my name is Matthew Shuman. I am a 5^th grader at Wollback. When Pastor Harrop announced that there was going to be a fall baptism, I remembered being here two years ago. I had a chance to see about 11 students get baptized, that memory got me excited about the idea of being baptized here this year. I want to be baptized to share that I am following Jesus. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me, and because of that, my sins are forgiven and I want to follow God's will for my life.

I would like to share my favorite verse with you.

Joshua 1:9b, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Thank you to all those who poured into Matthew's life. Praise and honor goes to the Lord!

What an Impact

2011-10-23T16:55:00.002-04:00

While subbing at Haus Bad Riedlingen, we had a chance to meet three BFA alumni who had graduated a little less than 10 years ago. They were returning to the dorm in which they had lived. It was heart touching to hear them talk about their time at BFA and HBR. One of the former students shared that he remembered the day that his parents dropped him off. He described how much he did not want them to leave him there, how much he was not ready to attend BFA, how upset he was at his situation. He shared that difficult time with us, with a smile on his face, as he continued to walk through the dorm. The smile was there because as we entered each room, a different memory was sparked in his mind. By the time we returned to the main entrance, he was describing how he felt on graduation day. He described how he did not want to leave BFA or HBR, how he was not ready to move on to the next stage of his life without his dorm brothers or those who had touched his life from BFA, and how upset he was that his situation was calling for exactly that, moving on. Once he left, we had some time to interact with the boys who live in HBR this year, and it made me wonder if they would one day return with such fond memories of both their school and dorm. I pray that they do.

D-Day - A Personal History

2011-10-04T15:20:00.000-04:00

We met a British veteran at Point Du Hoc who captained one of the boats that brought American soldiers to both Utah and Omaha beaches on Day 1 of the Normandy invasion. As he shared a little of his story with us, the students were intrigued by this 88 year old and the description of events from 67 years ago. You could still hear the pain in his voice as he shared that they were expected to lose 50% of the men that he and his fellow captains brought into battle. As I said good bye and thanked him for his time and service, his grip on my hand was strong enough to make a lasting impression.

Normandy

2011-10-04T15:19:00.000-04:00

66 students and 9 chaperons boarded a double decker bus at 10pm on Thursday to travel from Kandern, Germany to Normandy, France as part of the junior class trip. Rob was fortunate to be one of the sponsors. It was a blessing to spend 84 fast paced, sleep deprived hours getting to know these students better. We slept on the bus for 2 of the 4 nights, which contributed to much of the class bonding that takes place on this annual trip. We had an opportunity to visit many historic sites and reflect together on the tragic events that impacted history. From hearing about great acts of heroism to the variety of emotions that come with visiting the German, Canadian and US cemeteries, there is no doubt that this trip will have a lasting affect on our students.

2011-09-17T16:10:00.001-04:00

This song captured my heart a few years ago and that began my prayer.... Lord here I am.

~Heather

Here I Am

Downhere

from the album Ending Is Beginning

Buy on Amazon

Play sample

Sometimes Your calling, comes in dream
Sometimes in comes in the Spirit's breeze
You reach for the deepest hope in me
And call out for the things of eternity

But I'm a man, of dust and stains,
You move in me, so I can say

Chorus
Here I am, Lord send me
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me
Somehow my story is a part of Your plan,
Here I am

When setbacks and failures, and upset plans
Test my faith and leave me with empty hands
Are You not the closest when it's hardest to stand
I know that You will finish what You began

And these broken parts You will redeem
Become the song that I can sing

Chorus

Overwhelmed by the thought of my weakness
And the fear that I'll fail You in the end
In this mess, I'm just one of the pieces,
I can't put this together but You can

Chorus

Here I Am, all my life an offering to You, to You
Somehow my story is a part of Your plan
Here I am

BFA Opening Ceremonies

2011-08-26T14:47:00.000-04:00

BFA Opening Ceremonies kicked off the 2011-2012 school year on Tuesday. The seniors marched into a packed auditorium carrying flags representing the countries from where our students call home. The Director, Mr. Phil Peters, delivered an opening address. Using his canoe for the prop, he shared God's word and encouraged us all to be prepared for the this year's journey, through the quiet waters and the rolling rapids. He also interviewed the 1st graders (the class of 2023) and as you can tell, we received some funny responses from these 6 year olds. It is amazing how when the first wanted to boy wanted to be a pilot, and the first girl wanted to be a horse back rider, that the remaining students all followed suit. Challenging times followed as parents said farewell to their children for the start of this year.

2011-08-23T14:47:00.000-04:00

Welcome (back) from Black Forest Academy Videos on Vimeo.

We have landed and work has begun!

2011-08-20T15:58:00.000-04:00

We arrived safely with all our bags at 11:10am on Wednesday. By noon we had dropped our bags off at our new home, Hauptstrasse 55, 79400 Kandern, Germany, and were at a luncheon for TeachBeyond being held at BFA. Rob started work at 12:30 and arrived home at 4:30. The Kraines blessed us with a delicious dinner, that most of us stayed awake for. Since then, Rob has been at the office 8-6 as the staff has been working diligently to ensure that the school is ready for the start of school next week. New student orientation is Monday and opening ceremonies and the start of school are Tuesday. This means that some students will be arriving Sunday and the remainder will be traveling in on Monday. Please pray for the students to have safe travel and the time and opportunity to say good bye to family and friends.

BFA Bound

2011-08-12T08:49:00.000-04:00

We have purchased tickets! We will be leaving for Black Forest Academy on Tuesday, August 16th. We are excited and anxious over all that needs to get done. We are thankful for all the support and encouragement we have received of the past few months/year with regards to answering this call.

Commissioned

2011-07-31T23:21:00.004-04:00

Today we were commissioned by First Baptist Church of Narragansett. We watched a video titled, March of the Unqualified .
The video presents that the Lord consistently uses individuals that society would identify as unqualified, to do great things for the growth of His kingdom. It was encouraging as the Lord has called our imperfect family to service in Germany. In Pastor John's sermon, from Acts 13, versus 1-4, he explained how the Antioch church set apart, sent away and sent out Barnabus and Saul, as they had been instructed by the Holy Spirit. The elders then laid their hands on our family and prayed for us. Thank you God for providing us with such a loving and supportive family at First Baptist.

Car Wash #2

2011-07-30T23:39:00.001-04:00

The Lord blessed us with a beautiful day for a car wash. We had many friends and family come to show their support for our mission. We washed approximately 50 cars as we shared our vision for serving the Lord in Germany. Thanks to all who came out.

A Great Opportunity

2011-07-29T23:21:00.000-04:00

Rob had a blessed trip to Korea. He had an opportunity to work with 30 students (some of whom are pictured above) who have the desire to attend college in the United States. While there, Rob assisted the students in the college application process, financial aid and essay writing. Rob was reunited with Joseph Kim, who leads Central Christian Academy, and his family whom we worked with at Black Forest Academy. The time in Korea was a blessing as Rob grew in his understanding of Korean students and their culture. He also had an opportunity to establish partnerships with a few churches and families in Suwon, Korea. The Lord's hand was clearly involved this entire experience as if it had not been for His calling on our lives to serve at BFA during the 2009-2010 school year, the connection with Joseph would not been made.

Korea

2011-06-02T22:09:00.001-04:00

The plans have been made and tickets booked for Rob to go to Seoul, South Korea in early July. While there, he will reconnect with Joseph Kim and his family who served with us at Black Forest Academy last year. Rob will be running a week long conference about US college admissions with the parents and students of Joseph's school. Please pray for safe travel and the building of strong relationships.

CAR WASH DAY !!!

2011-05-21T08:25:00.000-04:00

Our small group has organized a car wash to benefit our mission trip to Germany this summer!!
TODAY IS THE DAY :) Please come join us for a clean car and a snack while you wait!
First Baptist Church 305 Kingston Road, Narragansett 9-12

Partners

2011-05-11T15:05:00.000-04:00

While our time here dwindles quickly, we are in need of individuals to partner with us in our ministry at Black Forest Academy. If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, we would love to meet with you to discuss more about it. Please contact Rob at 401.792.9315 or rshuman@teachbeyond.org .

Good Friday

2011-05-11T14:58:00.000-04:00

We were blessed and encouraged by the Evangelical Ministers Fellowship, to be able to present our ministry at the Good Friday Service. It was a wonderful night of worship and praise to the Lord. We really appreciated the opportunity to meet with individuals from many different churches. We would like to thank EMF for their support by having the offerings to the Lord be put towards our ministry.

Sharing Our Ministry

2011-03-30T21:19:00.000-04:00

On Sunday we had the opportunity to present our vision for our ministry at BFA to Calvary Bible Church of Narragansett. It was great to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones. We want to thank the congregation for their encouragement and support.

Stepping

2011-03-18T17:53:00.000-04:00

We are Stepping out in faith to return to Germany to serve Mk's at The Black Forest Academy.!
Please join us by praying for all the details to come together.
Thank you~ Rob, Heather, Andrew, Matthew and Jacob

Psalm 27:11 kjv

2010-12-13T09:13:00.000-05:00

" Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path"
Psalm 27:11 kjv

Ephesians 5:17 KJV

2010-12-11T09:18:00.000-05:00

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is"
Ephesians 5:17KJV

I know not,

2010-12-10T09:13:00.000-05:00

I know not, but God knows;
Oh, blessed rest from fear!
All my unfolding days
To Him are plain and clear
Each anxious puzzled "Why"
From doubt or dread that grows,
Find answer in this thought:
I know not, but He knows.

I cannot but God can;
Oh, balm for all my care!
The burden that I drop
His hand will lift and bear,
Though eagle pinions tire,-
I walk where once I ran,
This is my strength to know:
I cannot but GOD can.

Annie Johnson Flint

Short Term Mission Trip

2010-10-28T09:59:00.003-04:00

October is one of the busiest months for me at my portrait studio, but luckily Jackie is wonderful at running the studio. I went on a short term mission trip back to Germany. I went to photograph grades 1-12 along with the staff~ for their always amazing yearbook. The Lord blessed us with no rain just a bit of fog ~ and for Kandern that was super it seems to rain, more often than not. The rain started after my last senior portrait ! pheww!!

I photographed each senior outside in town and the neighboring towns. It was alot of running, but we had an amazing time filled with laughter, guitar playing, cello playing, hiking in the woods, hiking down the train tracks and all over! It was a great to have Jonathan Griesse helping with the reflector, as we did everything with available light. Thanks Jonathan!
It was a pleasure to share the gift of photography that the Lord has given me.

Here is a short video of the senoirs from BFA.

Awana Games at Ramstein Air-Force Base

2010-09-28T08:36:00.000-04:00

Here are some images from the Awana Games at Ramstein. All the kids had an amazing time, thanks to Jesse Frank and Carol Bonham. They came home with first prize !!!

On the way to the Airport........

2010-08-24T10:59:00.000-04:00

BIG BIG dorm van to get us and our luggage to the airport!

Jake, Matt and Andrew

We can not believe our time here in Kandern is over!

We have truly loved being a part of this amazing school.

Missing Friday Chapel

2010-07-16T05:54:00.000-04:00

Today is Friday school is over and I am really missing Chapel :(

Some Art on display

2010-07-01T05:42:00.000-04:00

Chrysalis

2010-06-15T15:52:00.000-04:00

95% of Middle School students are involved in small groups called Chrysalis. Each group, which meets on Wednesday nights, is led by 2 or 3 seniors. Pictured below are 3 of Andrew's good friends and the 2 seniors who devoted themselves to mentor these 7th graders through this year. Ben and Josh, the leaders, went above and beyond the Wednesday night meetings by hosting sleepovers at their dorm, meeting for lunch and taking them camping. They have made a profound impact on their emotional and spiritual growth.

high school awards night

2010-06-11T04:54:00.000-04:00

It was my privilege to be able to be able to share with you the Top Scholar Awards. As a new member of the faculty here at BFA, I have been impressed by the academic tradition here. This tradition is founded on leadership through the comprehensive program that is offered, the teachers through the subject mater they challenge these young people with and the students who enroll in this course of study with the desire to honor God through their efforts and growth.

Our Freshmen finished this year with a class average of 90.03

Our Sophomores finished this year with a class average of 88.58

Our Juniors finished this year with a class average of 86.82

and our Seniors finished this year with a class average of 88.36

and this includes the grades received after Senioritis hit BFA.

So, our entire student body as a whole has an average of 88.5 for the 2009-2010 school year.

Representing the Freshmen Class:

Mr. Evan Fung whose average this year is a 97.5

Representing the Sophomores:

Miss Hallie Brinkman whose average this year is a 95.36

Representing the Juniors:

Miss Soe Yeon Shin whose average this year is a 96.25

Representing the Seniors:

Miss Emily Heeringa whose average this year is a 95.59

And Representing the Class of 2010, as their Valedictorian:

Miss Rachel Schenkel whose overall average is a 95.59

Middle School Chapel

2010-06-10T15:53:00.000-04:00

Rob had an opportunity to speak at Middle School Chapel.

Elementary School Chapel

2010-06-08T15:57:00.000-04:00

Some pictures of Rob speaking at BFA Sitzenkirch, Matt's school. This experience reminded Rob of his days teaching the 1st and 2nd grade Sunday School class at First Baptist.

Serving

2010-05-06T10:47:00.000-04:00

Here are the many men and women who care for the students that live in the dorms. Last week I had the pleasure of cooking a meal for them along with two amazing women here, Jen and Doris.

Andrew

2010-04-24T16:01:00.000-04:00

Yes, That is Andrew under all that hair!! Andrew broke his arm while rollerblading at a home soccer game. SOOOo we got to visit the hospital here in Germany.

Chapel Time

2010-04-16T14:32:00.000-04:00

Every Friday morning the whole school comes together to enjoy chapel time.
The high school band does an amazing job of preparing us for worship through sharing their musical gifts. Each week a staff member or a member of the community shares their testimony or leads us in a lesson of God's Word.

2010-04-16T14:05:00.003-04:00

More Chapel Band

2010-04-16T14:04:00.000-04:00

Friday Chapel Band

2010-04-16T13:59:00.000-04:00

Macedonia

2010-04-10T14:36:00.000-04:00

Mission Trip to Macedonia

2010-03-26T06:42:00.000-04:00

Rob left this morning on a mission trip to Skopje Macedonia. Please join in prayer for them !

If you would like to follow their journey, they will try to keep up a blog while there ~~ depending on internet availability. Check it out at :

http://bfatomacedonia.blogspot.com/

Grateful for your prayers, Heather

ICEC

2010-03-13T05:02:00.000-05:00

Black Forest Academy will once again be the host site for ICEC 2010 (International Christian Educator's Conference). Christian educators from around the world will be coming to Kandern for four days of professional development put on by the Association of Christian Schools International on March 27-31, 2010. Keynote speakers include Dr. Wess Stafford, President of Compassion International, and Dr. David Livermore, Executive Director of the Global Learning Center. Super Seminar speakers include Dr. Sheryl Vasso, Dr. Tim Heaton, Dr. Christian Overman, and  D. Bruce Lockerbie.

Dorm Night

2010-03-11T04:59:00.000-05:00

Today is Thursday !!

Thursday nights while the dorm parents have a night off from helping 27 high school boys with dinner, homework, laundry and getting settled for the night. We take their place for the evening. We are enjoying getting to know the RA's and the students at one of the seven dorms here.

Mission Trips

2010-03-11T04:09:00.000-05:00

Our high school is gearing up for Mission Trips !

High school students grades 9-12 will be traveling in March. We will be having 5 trips this year and there are 55 students signed up to be a part. Please be in prayer for what lies ahead for all these students and staff.

Candle Light Dinner

2010-02-28T04:40:00.000-05:00

Last weekend a Candle Light Dinner was hosted at BFA.

Candle Light dinner is a dinner and theatre/art production put on by the mission community here in Kandern. This outreach to the local community is presented in German on two nights reaching 800 people!

BFA Artists~*

2010-01-23T07:06:00.000-05:00

BFA Artists~

2010-01-23T07:02:00.001-05:00

BFA Artists

2010-01-23T06:53:00.000-05:00

Christmas Middle/High School Concert

2010-01-23T05:33:00.001-05:00

2010-01-23T05:26:00.000-05:00

Christmas in Kandern

2009-12-19T13:16:00.000-05:00

The town square and Main Street look amazing during the Christmas season.

2009-12-17T08:29:00.000-05:00

Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum

2009-12-15T07:55:00.000-05:00

Our trek to get our tree was an adventure......

Someone gave us directions to a christmas tree farm near Matthew's

school and the directions went something like this.... Near the elementary

school follow the footpath~ go by the cows ~ find a barn at the end of the footpath~

knock on the barn door ~ there you will find a man who speaks no english only

allamonish (who knows on the spelling sorry) which is the dialect of the area and is quite different than the German language (meanwhile our german skills are lacking to say the least).

Sooooo we get to the end of the path and there are 3 or 4 barns, maybe one is a home ???

You can see Matt going to knock on the door. Luckily a man came out of the woods when he heard some LOUD American family. Everyone here is quite and speaks only so the person nearby can hear. Unless of course you are at a 'fest' or its midnight on News Years Eve. Well I knew the word for tree in German, that with a lot of hand motions he pointed us to a wide path on a muddy hill. There seemed to be quite a strong aroma of 'cow' but thats what most of this area here smell like, so that was not a big deal until I until I realized the slippery hill we were heading up was not mud after all :)

Well, we picked a beautiful tree and the tree man was wonderfully kind and we slid down the hill without falling in it !!

The Trek to our Christmas Tree *

2009-12-14T07:42:00.000-05:00

The Trek to our Christmas Tree **

2009-12-14T06:02:00.000-05:00

The Trek to our Christmas Tree

2009-12-14T05:56:00.000-05:00

Dorm Subs

2009-12-10T05:14:00.000-05:00

Thursday night dorm subs! The kids love our Thursday nights at the dorm! Here is Andrew is getting some advise about classes and school before dinner.

Basketball Game

2009-12-06T16:13:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the first home game for basketball. We mostly play Department of Defense Schools. The closest Base is 2 1/2 hours away and the farthest is 7 hours away. So they play 4 games on a Friday night and 4 games on Saturday girls jv boys jv ~ girls vars. and boys vars. The teams sleep right in the school, the boys on the floor in the Gym and the girls in the Student Center. We spent the whole weekend there (but we slept at home!). Our boys got right in the spirit quickly by painting their faces and Andrew sprayed his hair blue! The girls beat Heidelberg for the first time. Rob worked the clock just like he did many years ago at NHS. It was a long but fun weekend!

All of us in one photo!

2009-12-03T05:24:00.000-05:00

One night a week in December the towns people go down to the center of town and celebrate Christmas. There is singing food and fire. It is very simple, but beautiful! People taking the time to enjoy each other and honor the Christmas Season the whole month.

Dorm Thanksgiving

2009-11-19T07:22:00.000-05:00

On Thursday November 19, we had a Thanksgiving Dinner at the dorm we help out at. All the guys, dorm parents and all the other dorm subs joined in the celebration. We had all the traditional fixings it was delicious!! It was also Kari Eaves birthday one of the dorm subs. The guys sang to her and did not creek her on that cold night !! (more on creeking see September post)

Thanksgiving

2009-11-11T15:42:00.000-05:00

The elementary school had a Thanksgiving celebration last week.

The day was filled with games, singing, crafts, dancing, baking,

stories and a Thanksgiving dinner. See if you can find Matthew!

Lantern Night

2009-11-11T14:57:00.000-05:00

It is a tradition in Germany for K- 3rd grade to celebrate St. Martin by walking though the town with hand made lanterns. Jacob is attending German Kindergarten in Holzen, the next town over. We had a beautiful night for this celebration. All the children decorated lanterns that week in school. Families joined in the walk stopping every so often to sing. We ended at the park by having kinder punch, hot dogs and pretzels by a bonfire. It was a beautiful night !

St. Martin's Day (or Martinstag or Martinmas) is November 11, the feast day of Martin of Tours, who started out as a Roman soldier. He was baptized as an adult and became a monk. It is understood that he was a kind man who led a quiet and simple life. The most famous legend of his life is that he once cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm, to save the beggar from dying of the cold. That night he dreamed that Jesuswas wearing the half-cloak Martin had given away. Martin heard Jesus say to the angels: "Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptised; he has clothed me."

Car Clinic

2009-11-04T08:16:00.000-05:00

Last Weekend our Church here had a car clinic. Here in Germany it is a law you must have 'winter' tires on before the first snow. The car clinic was open to anyone who needed winter tires put on and to check all fluids and basic car safety. It was run by volunteers from the church for two weekends. Rob helped this past Saturday. It was a blessing to so many families!

BFA Seniors

2009-10-27T15:27:00.000-04:00

I have had the opportunity to photograph some high school seniors here this week. We had a great time!! I enjoyed spending time with the girls they were all so much fun !

Dorm Night

2009-10-21T06:18:00.000-04:00

Here is a Thursday night at the dorm HBR .

Mom and Dad arrived on a Thursday

for their visit, so they got to experience

dinner at the Dorm. These photos are

from a few weeks ago during Spiritual

Emphasis week. When the Canadian

Band came by for dinner.

Dad and Mom

2009-10-19T09:11:00.000-04:00

We are so thankful that my mom and dad could come out to Germany to visit with us.

Fire Trucks

2009-10-19T08:24:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos of the boys at a safety fair. For all those Firetruck Love'n cousins and Uncle! It must be Safety month here, because we have been seeing several

Police- Fire- &- Rescue demonstrations.

High School Fall Party

2009-10-18T08:25:00.000-04:00

Out with the old, in with the, well old

2009-10-04T04:31:00.001-04:00

We had purchased this fine, 1995 Mazda 626 when we first arrived in Kandern. Well, 2 months later, I realized that Heather was right and perhaps we needed a bigger vehicle. So, we have been shopping for a van that is within our price range. We have found one! We will be purchasing a new (to us) 1995 Volkswagon Sharan. While it is the same year, and has more kilometers than our Mazda, it seems to be a better vehicle considering Heathrer's folks are going to be here and we need the room.

Middle School Overnight

2009-09-29T04:00:00.000-04:00

On Friday, September 26th, I had a chance to chaperon the middle school overnight in Loerrach. 56 young students and 9 adults spent time hicking, playing, watching movies, singing by the camp fire, eating hot dogs and praising God for good weather, friends and the beauty of his creation. Notice that sleeping was not one of the activities listed!

Do you know what Creeking is?

2009-09-18T04:06:00.000-04:00

On Thursday night, our night to volunteer at the dorm, we were introduced to a new term, Creeking. Well, we got a chance to see it in full swing as the young men of HBR went out and captured the lead singer of the band playing, Jeff Dresser, at BFA for Spiritual Emphasis Week. They brought him back, carried him down (carefully) and lowered him into the creek. The water here in Germany is a balmy 16 degrees Celsius, otherwise known as 60 degrees Fahrenheit. So, needless to say the boys had fun making Jeff an honorary member of HBR. There were some questions to answer with the head of Residential Life the next morning, but we are not fired, yet.

Learning to drive in Germany

2009-09-06T04:16:00.000-04:00

Do you know Heather drives a mean bumper car? Given the fact that she has had neck issues for the past few months, we decided that on our first date night we should go to the bumper cars. While this is not really the case, we did stumble across a random bumper car ride and decided to bring some levity to our night. While there were only 4 of us driving, there were many collisions and some major confusion on both Heather and my part as we didn't know how to get the cars into reverse.

Dorm Parents - Not Really

2009-09-04T14:28:00.000-04:00

Heather, the boys and I had an opportunity to sub for Greg & Danielle Storrs, the dorm parents at

Haus Bad Riedlingen (HBR). HBR is a dorm at BFA where 24 young men live and spend a great deal of their time outside of the classroom. We will be covering for the Storrs every other Thursday night so that they can have a few hours off their amazingly busy schedule. Last night we had a chance to get to know these men a little better and hopefully lay the groundwork for some meaningful relationships. We also had an opportunity to get to know Brandon and Anna, the two RA's and work with them. We had a great time and look forward to serving there again soon.

Chapel Time

2009-08-29T02:41:00.000-04:00

Once a week there is chapel time for faculty, students and parents during the school day. This was the first Friday of the year and our first exposure to chapel time. It was awesome to see the student led worship team and the music they played was upbeat and fun. Many of the students gathered around the stage like a concert and jumped and sang with the band, creating a very interactive time of worship. I must say the deliberate conversations about God and faith embedded in all that is done at BFA has been enlightening and refreshing. Our whole family has enjoyed and benefited from this environment greatly.

Opening Ceremonies

2009-08-26T02:21:00.000-04:00

Today was the Opening Ceremonies for the new school year at BFA! It was an interesting and powerful experience. As the students gathered outside the auditorium, you could hear the buzz and excitement about reuniting with friends and the start of a new year. The student lead procession began with the seniors carrying in flags representing their home and passport countries. Once the ceremony began, Mary Ellen Reisser, a long time faculty member, read off all the countries our students represent and it was great to see their pride as they stood. I counted 52 countries in all, many of which I am embarrassed to say I couldn't locate on the map. Once the Opening Ceremony was complete, it was time for good-byes. This was powerful as parents and students were faced with the reality that they would not see each other again until the winter break in December.

You know you're in Germany when ...

2009-08-21T05:09:00.000-04:00

You know you're in Germany when you are excited about receiving your garbage can! We have been here for 3 weeks and we have had one Gelber Sack day where our recyclables (plastic and some cardboard containers) have been picked up and we now have a garbage can. Things are getting real exciting. We still need to drop off the glass jars (pasta sauce, jelly, etc) we have piling up at the recycling center, but we are getting used to the seriousness of garbage here in Germany. I am beginning to think that forced recycling is a good plan and something we will bring back with us. It is amazing how little true trash you have when you separate those things that can be reused.

Rotteln Castle

2009-08-16T13:47:00.000-04:00

We have been blessed with our host family, the Stemples. Yesterday they took us on a tour of Lorrach, Germany. We got to take a nice walk and picnic outside Rotteln Castle, as well as go school shopping in the city. The kids really enjoyed climbing the towers of the Castle, as well as playing with Ellie, Jordan, Matthew and Katie Stemple. Heather and I enjoyed the views from the top and the friendship with Sam and Jen.

Basel, Switzerland

2009-08-15T13:06:00.000-04:00

On Friday the personnel office at BFA (aka Kristi Schliep) took the new staff on a walking tour of Basel, Switzerland. This is the city we flew into, yet really did not see much of as we had a little jet lag at the time. It was awesome as there was a jazz fest being held on the Rhine River. We got a chance to ride a boat across right before we met up with the rest of the group to return home. The city was very busy, but had many streets that are pedestrian only. That is pretty cool as we are coming to realize that most europeans walk mostly everywhere and if they are not walking, they are riding their bikes.

Tour of Residence Halls

2009-08-14T11:38:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, the 13th, our family and some of the other new staff took a tour of the 7 residence halls available to the BFA families. We enjoyed seeing where the approximately 150 boarding students will spend a majority of their time outside the classrooms. While some of the residences are close and others are further away, they all offer the boys and girls a true home away from home. While we were on our tour, Matthew lost a tooth! As a reward, he got a popsicle from the dorm parents at the Stork Dorm. Actually we all got popsicles, thanks Matt.

BFA Sitzenkirch

2009-08-10T15:25:00.000-04:00

Today we took a short drive out the BFA Sitzenkirch. This is where the elementary school (grades 1-5) is located. We heard about the new multilingual 1st grade that is half English speaking students and half German speaking students. This is a new venture that BFA is attempting to integrate with the community through their educational efforts. This is where Matthew will be going to school. He will be in a class of about 14 other students, mostly boys. We have gotten to know his teacher already, the Lord has sent the right woman for the job!

Visit with english camp

2009-08-04T09:33:00.000-04:00

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

2009-08-03T14:17:00.000-04:00

Heather, Andrew and I spent the first half of the day at the Black Forest Academy (school seen in picture) in a German language and culture class. I thought I might pick up some German while I was here. Now, I doubt it. I was completely intimidated by the morning session. I am hoping the next 4 days will help a great deal.

Our family spent the afternoon and evening with the Kraines, Lori Henry, Becky Brooks and Brian Chausse, as well as 30 German teens at English Camp. We had a chance to join them in their activity time, which was American Football. We had a lot of fun interacting with these kids. It was wonderful to see teens so interested in learning the English language and about God. If you didn't hear them talking with one another, you wouldn't even know they were German.

Speedo Anyone?

2009-08-02T08:38:00.000-04:00

We hit the public pool in Kandern yesterday. Also known as the "speedo" pool. Regulations require tight fitting swimwear from all bathers. All in all, it was a really nice swim area with 2 pools and a kiddie water area. The boys managed to have a great time in the water and going down the water slide.

Today is our first Sunday here. We went to Black Forest Christian Fellowship, where I had to stand and introduce us all. Wasn't quite ready/expecting that, but we met many very nice people. Today is the first day that has not been sunny and warm, but that has not stopped the boys from having fun outside with the Frantz & Ellis kids (our neighbors).

Kandern, the first few days.

2009-08-01T04:54:00.000-04:00

We have landed in Kandern, Germany and are getting settled into our new home. It has been amazing to see God's hand in our lives throughout the past few months, weeks, days and even hours. We have been blessed with meeting wonderful individuals and families that have been encouraging and supportive.

The Shuman Family

2009-07-26T22:20:00.000-04:00

Heather, Andrew, Matthew, Jacob and I will be serving as missionaries at the Black Forest Academy (BFA) in Kandern, Germany for the next year. We have felt the Lord's calling to this ministry throughout the past year and have been amazed at how every obstacle that we saw in our way was cleared. We are excited that God has clearly shown us that this is what he wants for our lives. While we did not reach 100% of our funding, we have been blessed through financial support, prayer support and encouragement from so many. Thanks to all who have been and will be supporting us over the course of our time here.