More Pix

Hey! I thought I'd take the chance to put up some of the pictures I've taken since I've been here in Germany during the weeks of orientation. They are on Facebook as well.

A little over a week ago, we drove up this mountain to take advantage of the beautiful view from the top. We could see into France and Switzerland. This is Germany behind me, but I don't remember which village that is.

This is another picture I took of the dorm I'm serving in (HBR).

Some of us took a trip into Basel, Switzerland the other day, and this is part of the city along the Rhine River.

On one of the streets in Basel with a bunch of shops on either side.

This is a picture of part of my room and furniture on the 4th floor of HBR.

Desk. Already getting a little messy.

A view back to the second half of the room where my bed is.

The time is drawing near for the students to finally start showing up. Today (Friday) I met two of the students from our dorm who came early because they are a part of Student Council. The new students will start coming on Sunday, and the rest of the students will be here by Monday. The first day of school is Tuesday! We have still been getting ready for them to come each day. We have been arranging furniture, buying groceries, making name tags to put on the doors, furnishing the still bare living room, and cleaning EVERYTHING. The entire staff has met together a few times this week to go over some things, and all of the new staff has given their testimonies. I told mine on Monday morning. One of my favorite things is hearing people's testimonies and how God has faithfully worked in their lives. There are so many experiences and trials that people have been brought through and have come out stronger on the other side. At the end of today's session, the director had all of us stand in a huge circle around the edge of the room. He told us to look around at all of the people working at the school and to imagine all of the hundreds, even thousands, of people who we represented who are supporting us here. I imagined all of my friends and family who are supporting me and praying for me standing behind me and the same for each person in the room. If everyone were to actually be there, we would fill the entire town to bursting. Instead of the 150 or so of us who were actually in the room, there are thousands who are a part of this ministry. And you are one of them. That was a very powerful picture for me, and I hope it is for you, too. I will probably post again soon after the weekend after all of the students are here. Pray for my initial interaction with all of our guys as they start showing up the next few days. Then think about dropping your kids off hundreds of miles from home, not for college but for high school. Or else think about leaving your parents for a different country for months as a high schooler. And pray for the students and their families. Thank you for reading, and thank you for praying! God bless!

In His Service,
Brandon