BFA Graduation 2008

Seventy-three students graduated from Black Forest Academy today. What a wonderful and emotional day it has been! Class of 2008, you will be missed!



Who invented mortar boards anyway?!!

Graduation Gift

Each year during BFA's graduation ceremony it has become tradition for each member of the senior class to present a little "gift" to Tim as they are shaking his hand and receiving their diploma. This year the first member of the class to receive his diploma presented Tim with an empty fish tank. The next 69 students each gave Tim some colored pebbles. #71 gave Tim some fish food. #72 and #73 gave Tim a bag of live goldfish! We are happy to report that the goldfish have found a wonderful home in the BFA community(not ours)!

More of Grad.....

C&MA Graduates

Four of the fifteen(!) C&MA families who had a family member that graduated today....
Althaus's with Rachelle

Shareskis with Krista

Shadys with Monique

Mindeks with Christine

BFA Awards Night 2008

Tyler played bass for a musical performance at our annual Awards ceremony tonight.

Valedictorian - Yohan Kim

Ben Brown who will graduate from BFA tomorrow received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy. Congratulations, Ben!

Tim interviewed six members of the senior class who were at BFA in Grade 1(but not necessarily all twelve years) and presented them with a Longevity Award - a "BFA Survivor" T-shirt

Til we meet again........

This is exam week at BFA. Friday is Grad. My small group met one last time this afternoon after their exam - at the eis cafe(ice cream shop). Here's Katey eating spaghetti eis which is popular at this particular cafe


We exchanged notes of encouragement before saying good-bye. We also shared prayer requests. And I gave each of the girls a journal and encouraged them to use them this summer as a spiritual journal. Some of them began writing in them as we sat together! Yeah! Thank-you God for a wonderful year with these amazing ladies!

Internship in Switzerland

Yesterday we drove Luke to Switzerland where he begins a two month internship today. He is living in the beautiful old town of Roggwil near Bodensee(Lake Constance) - you can see it in the distance. Roggwil is a two hour drive from our house in Germany. It is in eastern Switzerland and 30 minutes from Austria.

All of these pictures were taken from the "tower" at his workplace. What an incredible view from up there!


Luke is living in the house closest to the forest in the photo below(the house where you can only see the roof). He is a 3 minute walk from work.

Luke's workplace

Luke's workplace - very modern and tres cool!

Swiss cow

Swiss chocolate
(Tim's Grandma was born in Switzerland so he claims to be part Swiss! He also claims that "everything is better in Switzerland!" No doubt about it when it comes to Swiss chocolate!)

Last small group time of school year

Tonight was the last time for small groups to meet this school year. We had my girls over for a BBQ and then we watched a movie together.
Katey and Olivia(the two on the left) are going back to the States next year. We will sure miss them! We have had an awesome year getting to know each other and growing together.

BFA Art Show

This week we enjoyed browsing the "gallery" at BFA's first annual Art Show.

Ceramic art

Octopus - one of the favorite picks at the show

Talent by Tyler Shuman

Two of our fantastic teachers, Becky and Alyssa, who are doing an incredible job in the Art Department at BFA! Becky, Alyssa and Mandy put together the first ever art show of this kind this year. It was very well attended and makes us proud of our students and their creative, God-given talent.

Small group and flowers

My small group will meet just one more time this week before summer vacation! Its hard to believe that this school year is almost over! Graduation is only 10 days away!
Here's a picture of two familiar faces playing Apples to Apples with another small group.

Celebrating Katey's(the blonde) 16th Birthday!

This bush in our yard is loaded with flowers! Gorgeous! God did it and gives it to us to enjoy!