quite the eventful day!

photos from today...

1. blank frank poster...complete with stick-able anne and chris facial features...kind of like pin the tail on the donkey...i mean, pin the feature on the baby!

2. 35 week belly shot...only 5 weeks until d-day! it's sure sticking OUT!

3. a super cool VIENNA collage our friend natalie made for baby frank

4. anne opening up a gift at her baby shower today with friends from school

Spiritual Emphasis Week, Me, and Lydia

This week has been Elementary Spiritual Emphasis Week at VCS. You may be thinking, don't you emphasize spiritual things always, hence the name Vienna CHRISTIAN School? Yes. We have chapel weekly, we teach Bible daily, and are "supposed" to incorporate faith into as many areas of our curriculum as we can. Honestly, that's a hard thing for me. I can't just force a "biblical" comment into my lesson on rocks and minerals or how to do multidigit multiplication. It's often a stretch for me. Curriculum guides give all kinds of cheesy ways to drop a God line into your lesson...LAME. When those things come out of my mouth, I want them to be real. I want them to come from something deep in my heart. I want comments or questions I raise to my students to be meaningful not obligatory. I do often talk about following Jesus in my class, yes, because I have learned in my limited life experience that following Him is THE way I want to live...bottom line. Not because my math problems are about kids who are sinners. So it's hard for me to accept it when people throw fluffy spiritual comments at kids and expect them to praise God and get excited about something. The whole time I'm wondering if this is really doing any good. Will it stick when the kids are 15 and are making bigger decisions without guidance? Who knows. Yes, they have heard God loves them but do they really believe He still loves them when something hugely terrible happens? Not sure. So the battle rages on in my head, and Spiritual Emphasis Week to me comes with the territory of a Chrisitan school.
This week Jerry Jacoby, from Michigan, has been at our school doing chapels each day for the elementary kids. He's hilarious. He's real. He's just short of amazing. Wow. He captures kids attention like no one I've ever seen, and doesn't present the fluff. Go Jerry!
Today was the day when Jerry presented the truth of Jesus's death and asked the kids if they wanted to choose to accept His free gift of eternal life. Altar call, kind of. He did it in a really great way through this story, and then asked kids to stick around and talk with him after school. One of my Austrian students who stayed, Lydia, told me something interesting after she came down to class, and I thought it was super. Know, though, that Lydia's parents are Christians, she's gone to VCS since she started school, and knows a significant amount of knowledge about the Bible and Christianity. Sweet sweet girl. So she came downstairs with tears in her eyes, so I asked her if she was okay. She said to me: "I know my mom and dad believe in Jesus, but I've never been sure. Now I'm sure." Simple comment, and then left to go home for the afternoon. Lydia is not a kid you'd think, "ooh, I hope she really listens today" or "she is the one I'd love to find Jesus." She's just a normal great kid who probably thinks about deeper things than anyone would ever know. I'm thankful she shared just that small comment with me today. It's worth it to teach here. It's worth it to teach period. Thanks for allowing me to do that at VCS.

New Room!

So our baby room is in progress! We are anxiously awaiting the installment of a hanging chair and a few things on the wall, and then Blank Frank's room photos will be unveiled. See it HERE first! Coming soon!

Oh Gross!

Funny thing just happened...

My class took a math test today and most kids were finished and playing math games on the floor by the huge window that looks out to the train track next to our school. Noah looked over and yelled, "Oooh, gross, that man is going to the bathroom on the tree!"

So...my whole class ran to the window and watched this Austrian construction worker pee on the metal pole. And now..."Oooh, there's a wet mark, and he didn't even wash his hands. Gross!"

I guess we teach all kinds of things here, huh?

Life and Work at VCS

Well, it was almost a week ago that I had a really cool conversation with a parent. This is the kind of stuff that gives me an extra boost.
Because I used to work with refugees - particularly ones from non-Christian countries, I'm a little sensitive to saying names and all in stuff like this blog. Anyhow, there are two kids at our school that just started this year. They are from Iran and are not believers. I've heard that the kids LOVE school so much that they always talk about it at home and don't want to leave school. It's a very new experience for them - language, culture, faith. Most of my interactions, though, are with their dad.
He is a very friendly man whose English is excellent. Almost every time he sees me, he asks me when I'm going to make him come visit me and take his money. (some people pay for tuition in cash directly to me) It's funny because it's the opposite of most parents. Anyhow, he took a liking to me and my candy dish on my desk in the fall. He's always been curious about the school - why we do things like we do, curious about chapel and what that's like, etc.
We were talking a little business and he basically asked how the school made it with tuition being so low. I told him about how almost all of the staff raise support. He didn't know about that and was pretty surprised. He is very smart when it comes to business and said that we must all be very committed. I said yes and told him about how we all feel strongly that God has led us here and that we do our best to trust him.
I didn't whip out the Bible on him or anything, but did give him more insight into who we are. And who we are is only because of God and his grace.

I wish you could meet this parent from Iran - he's cool.

Greatest C-Group EVER!

You are now gazing at the GREATEST C-GROUP EVER! Jim & Debbie Fix (a couple that supports us and I had their son Josh in my first 5th grade class), along with these Indiana University students, have adopted US as their missionaries from our home church, Evangelical Community Church, in Bloomington, Indiana. They email us, encourage us, and lately have BLOWN US AWAY with their generosity and kindness. Woah.
Number one...they PRAY for us EVERY DAY. Different group members pray for us each day of their week.
Number two...they are hosting a baby shower for BABY FRANK next week at the Fix's house! They have invited the WHOLE CHURCH (it's NOT small) to come and speak to us on a video and bring gifts for the baby. They'll celebrate Baby Frank with cake and ice cream, too!
We definitely do not deserve this amazing generosity, and we are SUPER thankful for the love and care God is showing us through them. I wish we could be there for the party!

Reverend Hewson??

So, I'm not sure if this link will work for you, but here's the scoop. Paul Hewson (Bono) spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast (American meeting of big time leaders to talk and pray - I think). I've only heard a few minutes of it so far, but I just know it's going to be good. It's 22 minutes long - and you might be able to download it so you can listen to it on iTunes or your iPod or whatever you use.
Share your comments on this "message" by Bono after listening. It might take a minute or two, but it will guide you to a screen that plays the message with Quicktime. If it doesn't work, just go to Simon's blog or Tom's blog and scroll down.

Writing Recess and Prayers

This week has been good in 4th grade so far. A couple reasons...

1. Sophie prayed yesterday, "Jesus, I want you to come back, but I really want to help gather your people." I was taken aback by this, thinking wow, a fourth grader's heart dwelling on these things. But then I started to doubt myself thinking, "Of course, Anne, she's a Christian, her parents are Christians, we are at VCS, it makes sense." But then my principal reminded me that there is NO guarantee that just because a kid grows up in the "right" or "good" atmosphere that they will spend life following God. So, it's important to guide kids like Sophie in how to follow Jesus as much as it is important to rejoice when a Muslim kid decides to choose Christianity.

2. I LOVE poetry, and more than that I love TEACHING poetry to kids. We began yesterday with a unit I hope to finish before I leave for Baby Frank. As usual, my students were ho hum about it, thinking only I'm sure in rhymes and the difficult experiences they've had in the past either reading or writing even just one poem. So, I thought that it would be fun to dive in without stalling. I showed them some poems on the overhead projector, we read them together, looked at the illustrations, and then commented about them. Then, though, I told them my favorite things about the poems we read, and honed in on alliteration (repeating beginning consonant sounds of words like roaring rushing river.) I told them that writing poetry was like taking a RECESS from WRITING the normal way. Start on the right side of the page, write in ALL CAPS or all lowercase letters, write upwards or downwards, even in circles. Poetry is just when you write down ideas you have the way you like it. You can even forget the periods, commas, and apostrophes. They LOVED that part especially. So, we're taking a writing recess in fourth grade the next few weeks. Maybe you should take a writing recess too? In your journal or on a scrap sheet of paper...anything works. Maybe I'll even be brave enough to share a poem or two I've written on this blog. Oooh! Chris has written some great poetry, too, so maybe I'll encourage him in the same way. Fun!

3. Last reason...we made strawberry floats today for Valentine's Day! Yum!

TOO Huge

I have one more thing to say before I try to get a good night's sleep before school tomorrow. My stomach isn't HUGE enough for this baby. Woah.
I've been feeling kicks in the ribs all night, and Chris and I have been spectators as Blank Frank tears it up in my stomach...like a dance floor. Picture waves and a funny looking disfigured stomach. Really. Too bad we couldn't capture it on film.

The second thing I have to say...okay I thought there was only one, but now I thought of something else...is that I officially have 15 days of full time teaching left, starting tomorrow and going until March 3. I will then teach only until noon for the week of March 6-10. After that, two different substitute teachers will teach my class for the remainder of the school year. Please pray I can do my job well until the end...WITH ENERGY :).

A Nice, Long Break

So this past week we've had a break from school called Energy Week, or Ski Week. Funny, though, that very few people from VCS actually ski. It's just that most of Europe takes to the slopes this week. We spent the week here in Vienna, though, getting some pretty important things done.
Here's a quick run-down of what we've been up to (sorry it's been a while):
~baby shopping
~moving furniture to get ready for Blank Frank's arrival
~hanging out with friends
~sleeping in!
~reading good books like Captivating, by John & Stasi Eldredge
~sipping Chai Lattes at Starbucks
~hosting a game & dinner party for the staff left in town over the break
~babysitting for some friends so they could enjoy a date
~watching movies
~baking & decorating Valentine cookies
~my favorite: watching Chris be silly in the baby crib!

Happy 70th Birthday, Bubba!

Happy Birthday Bubba! Here's a HUGE HUG from us to you:). We hope you have a super day.

Back by popular demand, it's another picture of Annie and Baby Frank!! 32 Weeks big. 

Counting the Days

That's what I'm doing, now that I know exactly how my last days this semester at VCS will be spent. Here's the low down, the down low, the skinny, the 411, whatever you want to call it.

We have a week off for SKI WEEK this coming week. Are we skiing? We WISH. But no. We're going baby shopping, going to the musical Mamma Mia, and relaxing in Vienna with some friends.

Then, I will teach full time 3 more weeks, until March 3. Then comes 1 week of me teaching until noon, and Linda Schwartz (an amazing lady, mom, sub, etc.) teaching in the afternoons. As of 12 noon on March 10th, I am not Mrs. Frank-teacher anymore, I am Mrs. Frank-wife and mom. MOM. Yikes. Linda will teach for three weeks until the permanent sub comes from the USA.

I'll then spend a few weeks waiting for Blank Frank's arrival, scheduled around April 1. I hope that's not a joke! I'll be washing his clothes, organizing his room, and cooking goodies to put in our freezer for dinners on nights when Chris & I are wiped out.

So that's the latest. Don't you feel privileged to know?