The Start of a New Life

New Life in Christ and Kandern

Hello dear friends and family,

There is so much to share with you, I don’t know where to begin! Let’s start with this beautiful view…the lack of a car for the first month in Kandern has been a special gift. Instead of eagerly driving hither and thither to sightsee and explore we’ve had the opportunity to walk and walk and walk. Some days it’s been raining or snowing, but when the sun peaks out we run outside! I’m glad we’ve gotten to know our little town by foot. It’s made it feel more personal. Meanwhile, Zach consolidated months of work into a few weeks! He found a car for us. It took investigating insurance options (all in German of course), navigating public transportation via bus and train to test drive the car, register the car at our district office, and then bus and train back to retrieve the car. He was stretched out of his comfort zone and totally thrived! Zach was also able to build a friendship with the seller and share his faith with him. God is so present in the ordinary matters of life.

Has anyone visited Germany before? If so, you may be familiar with Spaghettieis! It is an ice cream dish disguised as spaghetti complete with vanilla ice cream (noodles), strawberry sauce (marinara sauce), and shaved white chocolate (parmesan cheese). Delicious!

Zach here--I've been introduced to the intimate side of school workings here at BFA. I've been to each of the six dorms and had two tours of the school campus. I have to make this statement: the school's impact on students and sustainable longevity of the ministry here hinges on the health and ability of the maintenance team. Three years ago, there was no maintenance team-it was a single part-time individual working in the department. Now at the end of the 2026 school year there are nine workers; however, that will decrease to five people beginning in the summer. I've witnessed first-hand the important work the maintenance team is doing for the school and dorms. This is a great need at BFA and I'm proud to be participating on this team. I know this is where the Lord called us-to fill a need. But where I've found deeper meaning is that I'm not here working for a paycheck. Thanks to the Lord and all of our partners giving financially I'm free from the thinking that what I do is tied to my financial gain. "I am working for the Lord when I... fill in the blank." This thought has set my mind on a new path. I'm here serving the Lord in a very tangible way. So far, I've done two major projects while here. One-I put Kalk tablets in the toilets to keep the hard water from building calcification in the pipes. Two-I've dug out a pit in the parking lot to put down more pavers. Both of those projects I've thought are God glorifying actions. It's the posture of the heart that makes it service to the Lord. This is quite a change from my previous job. I am finding it refreshing and exciting. There is no pressure to perform, no race to the top, instead it is simply serving others by taking care of the school and dorms; places and items they come in contact with every day.

This heart posture of "service to the Lord" has taken on a new meaning for me. A friend of mine reminded me it's not the work I'm doing, but that the Lord called me here to sanctify me. The Lord is working in my heart to bring about my sanctification! 1 Thessalonians 5:23. That thought struck me as I began to think deeper about why we are here in Kandern. I naively had thoughts I was coming to serve others, be a good missionary, love God and follow Jesus. However, it is becoming clear that the Lord wants to work in me, grow me, and love me in only a way He can by bringing me to BFA. I want to spend my time here discovering what God has stored up for our relationship. God clearly is speaking to me in my love language (that He put in me)! When I'm connected to Jesus through the Holy Spirit my worship looks like obeying and listening-and through that it looks like service to others. My reason to be and remain at BFA is to become sanctified and obey the Spirit! Everything flows from my relationship with God the Father as he's revealed himself through his son, Jesus Christ and his gift of the Holy Spirit. I can do all things, no matter what the activity, as an act of worship back to the Father when my heart is aligned with His. This is what I've been experiencing since moving across the world.

Adelaide's Addition

Adelaide is no longer walking…she is running! Most afternoons you can find us at one of the local playgrounds, where Addy finds amusement picking up rocks, dirt, and flowers. She loves balls, babies, books, and blocks. Adelaide is a very chatty little girl and is quite loud. She is making friends and is not shy with strangers. Everyone is a friend! My goal for the rest of the school year is to have one mama and her kids over for a play date once a week to plug into our community. Last week however, we had 3 mamas and 6 babies over! A rather chaotic playdate but so much fun.

Impact Story

We have received permission from Katie to share her story, but for the privacy and security of her family we have not included a photo. Enjoy reading about her journey to BFA!

Katie moved to Germany when she was 2 & ½ years old and spent most of her childhood living in Northern Germany and attending a German Christian school. Her 7th grade year was spent back in the United States, and when she returned to Europe, she went to an international public school. The transitions to and from continents during middle school shed light on the fact that Katie felt very German in her upbringing. Moving to the US was difficult and coming back to Germany even harder with some lost identity and questions of belonging. Katie made some friends at the international school but none of her classmates were believers, and she was at an age when many of her friends were making decisions that she did not agree with. To grow in her faith but not have a Christian youth group or any believing friends felt very lonely. So began Katie’s journey to Black Forest Academy (BFA). 

One night Katie was lying awake in bed and felt strongly that the Lord was telling her to apply to BFA. She told her parents the next morning and their initial reaction was not in favor. They wanted her to stay with them in the North; however, they decided to pray about the matter over the weekend. Within a few days the Lord gave them peace about the decision for Katie to apply to the school. She sent an application to BFA for her 9th grade year. To her delight there was 1 spot left in the girls’ dormitory, and it was given to her! Katie was so excited! 

It is hard for Katie to describe exactly how much BFA has had an impact on her life. There is no doubt in her mind that she would not be the person she is today: serving overseas with her own family as an international worker if not for BFA. During high school she made friends who sharpened her faith and encouraged her to walk with Christ. Some of those friends are still in Katie’s life today, and while she has made other sweet friendships over the years, there is nothing that compares to having a friend who is also a third culture kid and truly understands her on a deep level. Those are lifelong friendships. 

Katie also grew as a leader and was prepared by BFA to become a Christ-like leader in the world with a heart for service. She was mentored by small group leaders, coaches, teachers, and RAs. All of them pointed her to Christ and called out her God-given gifts and talents encouraging her to use them for His glory. Katie also had the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities for the first time and joined the soccer team. She started doing ceramics as well and both activities quickly became life-long hobbies. 

Another life-changing opportunity that BFA provided Katie with was the chance to participate in short term service trips during Spring Break. It was on one of these trips that Katie felt the Lord calling her to become a nurse and to serve overseas. She is currently doing both! Here is a memorable story from one of the service trips that affirmed these callings: 

“I remember a time my junior year of high school when my soccer coach, who was also a guidance counselor at the school, called me into his office during my biology class. His name was Tommy and he was well-loved by many of the students as he was very intentional about mentoring and investing in student's lives. He was also going to be the staff leader for a service trip I was planning to take that Spring to an orphanage in Bangladesh. 

I stepped into his office, and he asked me to have a seat. He then shared with me that he was about to finish a book he had been writing, and he had been praying and asking some friends of his to pray with him about how he could use the royalties from his book to "give back" in some way. He then proceeded to share with me that he and his friends all felt that the money should go towards helping a student fundraise for their Spring break service trip. And after his friends gave him a list of criteria that the student should meet, it turned out that I was the only student who met all of them! I was so overjoyed and overwhelmed by the support. 

That spring, we took our trip to Bangladesh with the rest of our group, and I can honestly say that week was a pivotal moment in my life. It was there, in Bangladesh, that I felt the Lord call me to be a nurse and that I also discovered my love for working with kids. After graduating from college, I went on to become a pediatric nurse, and I am now working as a nurse overseas. 

To me, the Lord's hand is so evident in this and many other moments. I'm grateful for the way that God used my soccer coach, Tommy, to impact my story and for all the teachers and staff at BFA who cared above all about our spiritual growth and relationship with Christ. They were so in tune with the Spirit and obedient to the Word of God that the Lord was able to use them to speak into mine and so many other students’ lives.”

BFA is such a special place for Katie. (In fact, she and a friend joke that it is almost TOO special, because it is hard to leave!). She learned how to live out her faith in a genuine way, feel less lonely in her faith journey, and it gave her confidence in her identity as a child of God. She now has a boldness to live out and share her faith, and she has a lasting gratitude for the 4 years she spent at the school.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for the students at Black Forest Academy whose families live and work in war torn areas. Many students are affected by conflict in the Middle East. Pray that each student feels seen and cared for by the staff.

Please praise God with us because we have found an apartment to move into after our subletting contract ends this summer! We will move in July to a small and simple apartment in Kandern. This is an answer to prayer.

Please pray that as Adelaide grows, she will come to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

With much love and gratitude,

Zachary & Emma

If you would prayerfully consider joining us by supporting the mission please hit this link: www.OneChallenge.org/partner/110405.