Christian Artists

This month I had the opportunity, as part of my travels and exploring art in missions, to attend a Christian artists conference in Siegburg, Germany. We gathered at a beautifully remodeled monastery. It was a thrill to be with other Christians who also love to communicate through art.

During the days there were lectures and workshops. One of my favorite experiences was a workshop with musicians, singers, dancers, and visual artists, pictured on the bottom right. We read and discussed the message and emotions of Psalm 107, then "prayed" the Psalm without words, improvising in our various art forms. It was a powerful experience of what the Psalm describes: praise, darkness, crying out to God, and joy in His answer. It was also powerful to learn about collaborating with other artists.

In the evenings there were performances by different attendees and slide shows of visual art. That was really fun too! Overall, I'm very thankful for the experience. And I'm praying for guidance as I continue to travel and explore art in missions, seeking what God has next for me.

Schäfersee

Today I went for a walk around a lake. It reminded me of Round Lake in Camas, Washington, USA... But it was Schäfersee here in Berlin, Germany. (Thanks to God for giving me a green space here too!)

If this rises the question, "What's Sarah doing in Germany?", do ask me for my last newsletter! However, the short answer is that I'm traveling a bit, visiting friends, with the goal of seeing what God has next for me. Specifically, I'm looking into how God can use my art in missions.

I'll be in Germany for all of August. Next week I'll go to the southwest, near the Rhine River, for a Christian artists conference. Otherwise I'll be in Berlin with my friends who do street ministry here. They use visual art and music in their ministry, so I'm excited to see, participate, and learn!

Ratios!

 Most of the math I taught this semester was concepts that I use everyday... telling time, measuring liquids, multiplying, adding... But sixth grade math was a different story! Algebraic equations, multiplying fractions, story problems with rate... and ratios. Those concepts are not often on my mind.

So, it was fun and heartening when, a few weeks after closing LVLC for the semester, I had a project that required everything I know about ratios, thanks to teaching my grade six students! I had to make posters that fit perfectly into a unique shape on the walls of a conference room (for our branch retreat in Dar es Salaam). All I had was a photo of the wall, graph paper, the measurements of my poster board, and my fresh understanding of ratios.

I put it all together, and this is what I got (x6 posters)!!

You Know You've Done Your Job When...

Wednesday I taught some of my students how to tie dye. Yesterday I got a WhatsApp photo of a gallivanting hippie. On the normal school day this student is respectful, focused, and calm... But when she puts on her tie dye... Oh dear. Earlier in the semester I got a photo of another student. She'd turned into a mermaid! Finally, a treasured gift, my hippie student drew this picture of the two of us. 💗 The drawing skills! The capturing of our appearances and personalities! The mermaid appreciation!! My work is complete.

Finishing Up

It's the end of the semester... and the end of the American school year. We don't take testing to quite the extreme one sees in the States these days, but we do like a little outside input on our teaching. The students do an online version of the California Achievement Test, which is widely used by home school families. And it's fun to say you're taking the CAT test! The kids were very focused, youngest and oldest pictured here, and did very well.

All the Way Home

Quite often I have an escort on the last leg of my walk home. The neighbor kids think it's fun to greet me, hold my hands, and follow me to my gate. They're cute, so usually that's fun. But sometimes it seems excessive because we don't really know each other, especially if they ask themselves in or tease our dogs.

So this day I decided on a consolation prize to keep my sense of humor: a photo of the parade! That's the challenge with cultural differences. When behaviors clash with one's sense of appropriate, you tell yourself that there are lots of ways to do things and yours isn't the "right" way and it's fun to try new things. And you laugh:)

Talking Toes

We're finishing up the semester, including our study of African geography. One interesting fact: some people groups in western Africa used toe puppets to free their hands to play instruments during story telling!

My oldest student took the teaching role for a toe puppet craft lesson last week. We walked through the lesson plan together: objectives, attention getter, directions, etc... Then she gathered and set up all the supplies, taught the lesson, and here you see the results!