Pankefest, Chagall Exhibit, etc... (more pictures)

Two weeks ago we had a big festival in Pankow, Pankefest. (I think the Panke is like a creek - not quite a river...) It's a pretty big deal, a pretty big portion of two streets gets blocked off for an entire weekend and filled with tents where people selling crafty things or food (or beer). One of the streets used for the festival happened to be the street our church is on, so we were able to have our own table at the festival without paying to set up a tent. We had games for kids and tried to just talk to people and invite them to our Chagall exhibit. And we were the super nice people who let people use their bathroom for free. :)

The Chagall exhibit opened right as I got back from Altenberg/Cologne. Our church did this last year too (when I wasn't there) - we were able to rent original lithographs of Marc Chagall's artwork from an organization for a few weeks and open an exhibit in our church building. Chagall's work portrays Biblical themes so it's a neat way to bring people into our church who might not otherwise think to come in, and through the exhibit they are (hopefully) able to learn something about God through the stories in the paintings. This year's exhibit is the Exodus cycle. The artwork really is amazing and so far we've had tons of visitors!

Click here for Pankefest/Chagall pictures (more to come)

Other than that, life has been pretty "normal" - but certainly not boring - here in Berlin! School is going great, I'm still totally in love with my students. My one struggle is with the teachers - a lot of them complain A LOT. And I'm a pretty positive person so that gets annoying pretty fast! I'll also probably have to do a post on political correctness in the near future because this is a concept that is no where close to being as important as it is in America, and sometimes I get a shock when I hear things that Americans would never say. But all in all, school is great and I'm excited to get to start doing more on my own and developing my own ideas. If anyone has any tips or suggestions for fun things to do with 3rd, 4th and 5th graders learning English, let me know!

As far as life in Pankow and stuff at church, there are two new developments: We have started Bible class for 11-13 year-olds, and I'm helping with that as sort of a co-leader with Timo. So far it's been great and I'm super excited about the curriculum and all the things they (and I!) will learn. Also, I'm going to start leading worship more regularly and really investing into it as a ministry. This is something I'm hugely passionate and excited about, but also a bit nervous! I'm definitely looking forward to all God has to teach me in this area.

<-- (Learning the books of the Bible with the help of Robert's Legos...)

Last piece of news: I got my first German hair cut! This was not only my first hair cut in a foreign country, but also my first hair cut by a new hair stylist since about six years. Tori has been cutting my hair since some time in high school and it was a little leap of faith to trust someone else with the scissors for the first time. Luckily, Jacqueline at Ha(a)rmonie (hair = Haar, isn't that the cutest name for a hair salon in Germany?) did a great job!

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That's the news from here! Much love to y'all!