Twelve Days...

Can you believe it? I only have 12 days left of work at GemStone Media. Twelve. That’s it. Where has the time gone?! I realized something today as I was climbing the stairs to the top floor of “the Barn”… I look forward to going to work every day. It doesn’t feel like work at all - just seems like I’m contributing and collaborating with a great group of creative (and often quirky) minds. That thought made the day even better (albeit a little bittersweet)…

Well, since my time here is almost up, I thought I’d catch you up on what my last few weeks of work are going to look like. This week I’m finishing up the Creation to Christ Story. I got the final approval for all of the illustrations! Woot, woot! Now it’s on to prepress, getting quotes from printers, and reformatting for the digital release. If you’d like to get a sneak peak at the digital version (and provide some feedback!),
click here to check out the testing website. These illustrations were presented to a board of Greater Europe Mission (GEM) leaders during a week of meetings last week. The verdict…they absolutely loved it! I was introduced to the group towards the end of the week, and I received a round of applause. They told me that my name had been mentioned quite often in relation to this project throughout the week. That’s definitely a confidence booster! A few of them even asked, “so what do we have to do to keep you here?”...

With whatever free time I have left after this project is complete, I’m going to be getting a crash course on how to use video editing software (specifically Final Cut Pro). A BIG part of what GemStone Media does is produce awesome videos promoting Christ and the ministries that are happening throughout Europe (click here to check out their stuff). GemStone has also asked me to use some of my photography skills to take a day or two to travel to some bigger cities (such as Basel, Switzerland and Freiburg, Germany) to take people/Europe photos that can later be used in brochures and other promotional material. Really looking forward to that! I just hope no one thinks I’m a creeper taking pictures of random strangers on the street…

On Thursday, I’m headed to Köln (Cologne) for the weekend to visit a few old friends. It will be my first actual train trip in Germany as well as my first time getting out of the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) region. I’m very excited for it! Looks like I’ll be missing Thanksgiving once again this year though (that makes two in a row…). BUT I did have a big Thanksgiving feast yesterday afternoon with about 30 incredible people (it’s a family small group consisting of about 6 American missionary families living/working in Germany. We get together almost weekly to have a meal, worship and learn about the Lord. It’s a beautiful example of what a Christian community can look like, and I feel so incredibly blessed to have been able to be a part of it while here!). Anyway, we began the day with a few games of flag football followed by THE FEAST, some worship/talent show stuff, dessert, and a little professional and college football (courtesy of the military network). Seriously, it was like a Thanksgiving straight out of the movies. I’m so blessed.

On December 12^th, my mom and aunt are joining me in Germany to do some traveling/touring around the country. I’m really excited to get the opportunity to share a little about this land and this culture with them. Here are a few things that we’ll be doing/seeing: Kandern (of course), an afternoon in France (Colmar and Riquewihr), the Swiss Alps, the Cailler Chocolate Factory, a stop at a classic Black Forest cuckoo clock factory, Köln//Münster and the Rhine River, a drive along the Romantic Road to Rothenburg (where we’re staying for two nights in a castle!), Dachau Concentration Camp, Münich, and the infamous Neuschwanstein Castle. Throughout the trip, there will be many stops at the various Christmas Markets that Germany is known for. Our last day in Deutschland will be December 23^rd, returning back to the States just before Christmas =)

I have a few more interesting tidbits about German culture that I’d like to share with you, but I’ll wait until the next post since this one is already rather lengthy (and I know that if my posts are too long, one of my brothers won’t read them :p just kidding, Shannon). I promise I’ll post another update soon! Until then, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!