A taste of spring

Yesterday I took these pictures and today it snowed! I think I'll go to Kenya! Its currently 24 C in Nairobi - at 9:00 pm at night!

ACSI Honors Choir and Strings weekend

During the past four days BFA has been hosting the 2009 ACSI Europe Honors Choir and Strings weekend. A total of eight schools participated, coming from Vienna, Budapest, Madrid, Prague, Moscow, Istanbul, and a creative access country. A select group of students are chosen from each schools' choir and strings and they come together to perfect their craft under the direction of college professors. The weekend culminated today with two public concerts - one at our school and one at the local German state church.





Amanda, one of the weekend's participants and the concertmaster or first violinist for the Honors Strings, is the daughter of our good friends from college days. It was a delight to meet her and visit with her!

One week to go!

One week from today we fly to Kenya! We are getting excited! Last night eight students from our team came over for supper and then helped me with organizing items that we will be taking with us to give to the school (42 children ages 3-8) and the orphanage (20 children ages 4-14). They also had fun watching The Lion King. It was fun to hear them singing along to the songs!

We put together a set of clothes for each girl at the orphanage. Two Foundations donated money to Tyler's and my mission trip account that made it possible for us to purchase clothing for all of the children at the home - 5 babies, 7 little boys and 8 older girls.

I have had a lot of fun shopping for the school and the orphanage, especially buying girls' clothes - something I seldom get to do! I am also very grateful to parents of students from our team who have donated items, as well as other people. Thank-you to all of you! We can't wait to bless these kids with your gifts!

A church in Indiana donated money to purchase Scholastic books. I was able to order a selection for different age groups. It brought back fond memories of when Luke and Tyler used to order from Scholastic. The students enjoyed looking through these books last night. Here, Erin is reading a Curious George book to a receptive audience!

Putting together sets of clothes for the girls (ages 10-14) at the orphanage.


Games, puzzles, clothes for little boys, clothes for older girls....plus a lot more! This picture shows less than half of what we are taking!!


Clothes for the 5 babies



Fun shirts for little boys (ages 4-8)

Middle School Drama

This past weekend our middle school wowed us with an amazing performance of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of the Black Forest". We enjoyed a good many laughs throughout the show. I was sad that Tim could not be there to see our students because of his trip to Senegal. I was also sad that the memory card on my camera was corrupted somehow and deleted all my pictures. Russ Kraines, Tyler's World Views teacher, graciously allowed me to post some of his great shots.

Goree Island, Senegal

On his last day in Senegal Tim was able to visit Gorée, a small island that is part of the city of Dakar. It is currently being used as a tourist destination to dramatize the horrors of the slave trade throughout the Atlantic world back in the 1700's, although probably no more than a few hundred slaves a year departed from here for transportation to the Americas. They were more often incidental passengers on ships carrying other cargoes rather than being transported on slave ships. After the decline of the slave trade from Senegal in the 1770s and 1780s, the town became an important port for the shipment of peanuts, peanut oil, gum arabic, ivory, and other products of the "legitimate" trade. Here are a few pictures taken on the beautiful island.

Outdoor furniture store


Tim's friend, Jim works at Dakar Academy, and was his tour guide to Goree Island.

Yum? Tim said it was!