A Day in the Life...

Busy and meaningful often are in conflict, but in the last few weeks we have experienced both in equal measure. That has been true for all of us recently, but particularly for me (Phil). I don't want to give you the impression that every season at BFA is this full (that would be unsustainable) but a brief summary of the last three weeks does provide a valuable window into the ministry we are privileged to be a part of here.

The week of April 21-25 was "normal" - typical school leadership responsibilities during the day, soccer practice in the afternoons, and about half of the evenings full with regular life-giving events: leading a Small Group (Tuesday), House Group (Wednesday) and Dow family night (Friday). But starting on Saturday April 26 that normal routine was "augmented"and things went from fast to faster.

On Saturday, Sophie and I were up at 4:30am to leave for soccer games three hours north at Ramstein airforce base. Following four games and six hours of travel time, we arrived back in Kandern with the teams at 10:30pm. After a few hours of sleep, I was off to Spain early the next morning for a leadership conference hosted by ASCI (Association of Christian Schools International) where I presented on the theme of "The Future of Missionary Kid Education".

After returning from Spain on Wednesday evening, I had an hour to unpack and repack for a campout with my Small Group of seven senior boys at a the ruins of an old castle in the Black Forest hills surrounding Kandern. It was a great mixture of fun and reflection as the guys got a chance to look back on their time at BFA and look ahead to the new chapter they are about to embark upon.

Having slept under the stars atop the castle turret, we returned on Thursday (a national holiday) to a normal school day on Friday, followed by a full day of hosting soccer games against another US base school, Kaiserslautern, on Saturday, which was followed by church on Sunday and dinner with a highly supportive alumnus and his wife in Basel, Switzerland that night.

On Monday, Board members began arriving for events beginning on Tuesday and all-day board meetings Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday - which were then capped by a final day of home soccer games on the Saturday and, at last, the return to a special church service on Sunday where a BFA senior was baptized.

And it is this last experience that I would like to close with. Baptisms are significant moments in the lives of believers, but the baptism of M was particularly meaningful for us, not just because he is the son of some dear friends, but because of the role that BFA has played in the life of his walk with Jesus. With his permission, here is some of the testimony that he shared this past Sunday. It is both unique to M but also includes a number of themes we see in students who come to BFA from all over the globe.

Hi, I’m M and I want to share a little bit about me. I was born in Canada but I never really stayed there for long. When I was three my family moved to Siberia and that’s where we stayed until I was thirteen. When I was in Russia, I never really knew Jesus. My relationship with God was very shallow and even though I went to church and did all the right things, I didn’t know Jesus personally.

For my 9th grade year, my family moved again to Ukraine and I started at a new school that was fresh and new. It was exciting and I felt my faith growing through Bible class and worship team! But right in the middle of my school year, everything was uprooted by the war in Ukraine. I had lost all my friends, teachers, and normal routines overnight and obviously I wasn’t super happy with God. That summer was a lonely and reflective time in my life. I didn’t know why God had abandoned me, or so I thought. Now I realise, I had turned away from Him not the other way around.

When I came here to BFA my sophomore year, I was still upset at why God would take away something so good from life. But He rewarded even my lack of patience and trust with something I could never expect. He met me at my lowest and provided me and my family with such an amazing place to grow after the turmoil of the past few years. I have learned so much about God at BFA in classes, small group, worship team, Chrysalis, and different Bible studies. I’ve learned He will never turn His back on us even when it feels like it and when hard times come I will now and forever trust in Him my Lord and saviour. I’m getting baptised today because I believe Jesus Christ died for me and as a public proclamation that I choose to follow Him for the rest of my life.

Thank you for your care and support - for us and for the families of students like M that we have the joy of serving.

Phil, Catherine, Emma and Sophie