August 2026
In His Hands
Hello dear
friends and family,
It is an
exciting time for us in Kandern, Germany! August is jam packed, so let me recap
the summer months for you as well as what is ahead:
• Zach
continues a full workload – preparing for students to return to campus &
getting a lot of maintenance projects done.
• We
moved apartments! Our 5-month subleasing agreement came to an end, so we
moved across town into a new apartment.
• From
August 5-11 we will participate in NEW staff orientation.
• From
August 14-19 we will participate in ALL staff orientation.
• The new school year begins on August 26!
With
the start of the school year our volunteering and ministry opportunities will
also begin. I (Emma) will start leading a high school girls’ small group and
our family will begin dorm subbing. Keep reading for more pictures and
explanations of these exciting opportunities!
Here,
Zach is working in one of the dorm laundry rooms to reconnect a new 3-phase
electrical plug for a dryer. When two of the out-of-town dormitories moved
into the new tri-level dormitory (now called Trinity house), Zach spent many
hours helping with the transition. He worked on elevators, moved furniture
and equipment, and responded to the needs of dorm staff.
For
Zach, the summer stretched him in areas of flexibility and leadership. For
a couple of weeks, he was the only maintenance staff member in the office.
This meant that he took on a leadership mentality and fielded all the questions
and concerns of his department. Teams of summer workers looked to Zach for
direction on their job assignments. (For example, 3 summer teams were responsible
for replacing the carpet in the library. One team removed all books and furniture
from the room. One team removed the carpet. And after the contractors laid
down new carpet, a third team arrived to restore the room to its library
glory! Zach managed and led these teams in these projects).
Zach
also delegated tasks to student workers. Some local high school students
obtain summer work through the school, and Zach stepped in to coordinate
projects for these students.
Meanwhile,
he also worked with contractors to fix electrical issues in dormitories, clear
out and shut down buildings that are no longer for BFA use, and facilitate
safety and up-to-code procedures for the main school buildings that are
getting audited this summer.
Whew!
Suffice it to say, Zach has been learning and growing every day! He adds
skills to his tool belt with each new task. He is working hard to lean into
the Lord for a servant mindset and attend to the numerous needs of the
maintenance department for the glory of God. Would you pray for Zach
that he finds delight in the never-ending maintenance requests? And would
you pray for a new teammate joining the maintenance department this month?
Zach
took his handyman skills to a new level! At the beginning of the summer, he
purchased a moped for $50. It did not start and had not run for several years!
But as a passion project, Zach fixed up the bike, and now it runs very smoothly.
It only gets up to 45 km per hour (about 30 miles per hour), but it is a perfect
mode of transportation to and from the school. He is coming to be known as “the
guy who rides the light blue scooter,” and Addy enjoys sitting on it stationary
and honking the horn. He told me that “everyone needs something to tinker with,”
and for Zach, this was the perfect project.
Fun fact:
Kandern is in the heart of a rich agricultural region. Farmland is plentiful.
One day we discovered a working farm that had fresh-churned ice cream vending
machines! While we ate some vanilla ice cream and enjoyed a glass jar of fresh
chocolate milk, we also got to walk around the farm and see cows, pigs, goats,
and chickens. Addy’s exposure to the countryside is a lot of fun!
The
view above is at the top of a mountain called Blauen. (One of the dormitories
is named after this mountain). It is 3,822 feet with a viewing tower and a
hotel/restaurant/spa at the top. It is a beautiful 20-minute drive from Kandern,
so one Sunday afternoon we took a picnic lunch to the top.
Addy
especially loved climbing on the boulders and smelling the wildflowers.
Remember
this pile? 5-months ago we took these bags and bins on the airplane from
Colorado to Germany. We repacked them and moved apartments at the end of July.
It was a quick and smooth transition because we had several friends who helped
us move and clean.
Our
new apartment is on the second floor of a German couple’s home. They are in
their late 80s and very kindhearted welcoming landlords. They only speak
Alemannic (a German dialect spoken primarily by the older generation of
southwestern Germany). Our aim is to take a deeper dive into German language
learning this fall, so we may need to add Alemannic to our studies as well.
Our new apartment is a small 750 square foot apartment with 2 bedrooms.
It is cozy, clean, and just right for our family of 3. We are so grateful!
Here
is the East facing view from our second story balcony.
Adelaide's Addition
Adelaide
is our delight! Snacks, books, and slides are her favorite pastimes these days.
Germany
does not have air-conditioning except for in grocery stores. So, in the hot
conditions this summer, we will often fill up a bucket and let Addy play with
water toys in the courtyard. She loves swimming, fountains, and splash pads!
Prayer Requests
At
the beginning of July, I had an unexpected surgery to remove an ovarian cyst.
Praise the Lord, in His kindness and foreknowledge, Zach’s parents arrived
the day before my operation! They took care of Addy while we were in the
hospital for 2 days. We are so grateful for the provision of family! The
surgery was uncomplicated and I am fully recovered. Zach and I did not know
what was going on most of the time in the hospital as we tried to navigate
the language barrier, but we felt an intense sense of peace that the Lord
was present. Please praise the Lord for His kindness towards us!
Another
praise is the arrival of our teammates this summer! The Kooiman family have
served at BFA for 8 years but were on their home assignment in the U.S. when
we arrived in Germany. We are SO grateful for them and our quick bond. Thank
you, Lord, for friendship and support from this awesome family!
Partner with Us
Feel free to pass on our link
onechallenge.org/partner/110405
or our contact information to any interested family or friends that desire to learn more about our
ministry at Black Forest Academy.
We also would
love to hear from you! Are there ways we can pray for you? Please let us know at
emmasanford@oci.org or zacharysanford@oci.org
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.