Safe Arrival

bottom: 0in;"> This is a post from Tuesday June 24^th, even though it is going to show that I am posting later than that. I arrived in Kandern today, a little bit behind schedule due to a couple of flight postponements, in pretty good condition for just having made the transatlantic flight. The town hasn't changed that much in the past two years since I've been here last, a few changes to the layout of local supermarkets, a little bit of construction has gone on, but the black forest still feels like the black forest.

I found out where exactly I'll be working the first couple of weeks that I'll be here. I'll be based out of the Janz Team offices here in town. I'll be working out of the “guest office” which is a converted closet, the back wall of which is covered in different books of German theology, and the other space pretty much dedicated to a desk and computer. Its small, but just big enough to be cozy and not claustrophobic. There's a skylight in the sloping ceiling that lets natural light in, so the room seems to breathe a little bit, rather than be a dungeon like converted walk in closet.

I start working, proper, tomorrow morning. I need to show up between 9 and 10 in the morning and will, hopefully, after the morning have a much better idea of how my time will be split up over the next three weeks or so. I'm assuming that the closer to camp we get, the more frantic the workload will be... but I'm up for the challenge, and actually relishing the opportunity to do work with eternal significance.

Otherwise, my evening was pretty free. I had a chance to the very first round of grocery shopping for myself. I picked up a couple of Broetchen (little hard rolls) and some lunch meat from the store, along with some iced tea to drink. So I have enough to eat, at least until I get a chance to do a little bit more shopping. And I felt like I ate like a king, even though my dinner was a hard roll and meat – its one of those things that I've been craving since I found out I'd be coming again. And it lived up to expectations. Otherwise, I walked through town for a while, and got most of the way reacquainted with where things are in relation to each other.

I also had a chance to take a walk on some of the roads right outside of town that go up the side of the hills/mountains. I always forget how beautiful it is in the Black Forest until I come back. Flying in, looking at the hilly landscape flying by underneath the plane, on the way from Paris to Basel I was struck by how gorgeous it was. My walk didn't disappoint either. I took some pictures of Kandern from the top of a nearby hill looking down, and they turned out gorgeously.

Otherwise, life is good. I've got no complaints. I'm still humbled and honored to be able to help out here for the next couple of months. I know there will be many of challenges coming my way over the next few weeks, and then an explosion of frantic activity as camps start and kids arrive. But hopefully, Lord willing, I'll be able to meet those challenges head on and overcome them.

Alright. I'm off. I need to get to bed, so that I have good energy to work tomorrow, and so that I can start beating the jet-lag. I have no idea how much time I'll have to post tomorrow evening. As plans stand right now I'm probably going to go watch the Germany-Turkey Euro Cup semi-final tomorrow evening at a church in the area. Here's hoping that all goes well!