Amanda and Carrie in Vienna

The reason for smiles...

2011-12-18T22:12:00.000+01:00

Here are two cuties that put smiles on our faces daily. The 2nd and 3rd graders are hilarious and sometimes we capture them on camera haming it up! Enjoy!

She reminds me of Popeye!

Greek Olympics

2011-12-16T21:59:00.000+01:00

In 2nd and 3rd grade history we have been studying Ancient Greece. They are learning so much and are having a blast! The other day they had their official Greek Olympic games. All 30 students competed in 5 events. They were wrestling (arm wrestling), the javelin throw (performed with chopsticks), the discus throw (the frisbee throw), a sprint, and the long jump (8 and 9 year old style). They competed with all they had and then the judges conferred (Carrie and Amanda) to decide the overall winners in each grade. We then had an official medal ceremony consisting of medals, flowers, and cash winnings (chocolate Euro coins). The Olympians had to, of course, wear their hand made olive wreaths on their heads and carry their torches to the ceremony! It was so much fun!!!

So precious!

I am not sure what the gold medal winner is doing here but it makes me giggle!

So proud!

Pure cuteness!

Classic grade 3 boy pose. This one makes me laugh because it captures each of their personalities so well!

Grade 3 Family Fellowship Night

2011-12-14T21:38:00.000+01:00

We recently had a Grade 3 Family Fellowship evening. It was fun to have an international potluck with the families of my students. It was also a lot of fun to simply sit and chat with the parents. We don't get to do that a lot. My students also performed a skit for the parents. It was called 'The Foolish Little Hare'. I am so glad we did this because, while it was a lot of work, I don't think I have ever laughed so hard at my students' antics! Haha! I am giggling just thinking about all the fun we had getting ready and presenting it! Here are some pics taken by Carrie! Thank you Carrie for being my photographer for the evening!

The Foolish Little Hare was HILARIOUS as evidenced by the Narrator's smiling face!

A very cute little brown hare #2!

My characters and me! They bring me so much joy!

Space Race

2011-12-12T21:28:00.000+01:00

In Grades 2 and 3 science we are studying space, the planets, the moon, and the stars. It is sooo much fun! To help the kids remember the order of the planets we made space headbands. They loved them!

Bananagram Fridays

2011-12-09T21:21:00.000+01:00

It has kind of become a tradition with my class this year to take the last hour of school on Friday afternoon and play Bananagrams. I initially started it so these kiddos could gain an understanding of all the words they knew in English as well as remember how to spell them. It has turned into a most favorite Friday afternoon activity for all of the kids. They say, "I cannot wait until Friday for Bananas!" I love it! I put them in teams of 3 and we play and play and play! It is so much fun and I love all of the progress I have seen them make throughout the year so far! They are becoming a lot more confident in the English words they know.

This Is Not A Pipe

2011-12-04T21:40:00.001+01:00

My students took an art field trip this week to the Albertina art museum to see the René Magritte exhibit. I had, honestly, never heard of this artist but was pleasantly surprised to recognize many of the works that were displayed. He was a very good artist. Here are three things I learned about my students during this trip...

They like to look at art and explain why the artist did what he did. They will argue their point. I am not surprised about this fact but the tour guide was. She even mentioned once that she did not need to teach them anything about interpreting Magritte's works because they already think they know it all! It was pretty funny to listen to them. She was shocked that the kids seemed to get it and actually participated with their own ideas.
This one made me laugh out loud and in a museum that is not good. Here is the piece we were looking at...

After she gave the kids significant time to look at the piece she asked them if it was a pipe. They said no. She asked why? They read it to her, kind of loudly which didn't surprise me. Then she asked them again if it was a pipe. They said no. At this point I heard one of the other kids tell another student that maybe it blows bubbles. I was laughing pretty hard at this point. The guide then asked the kids if she covered up the words would it be a pipe. They said, well, yes of course. So she uncovered the words and said... is this a pipe? They then said no and she said that maybe we should move to another piece! HAHA!!

3. While coming out of the ubahn station one of my students suddenly stopped at the top of the escalator and wouldn't move so all of the kids behind her kind of fell into her. I heard her say "Miss Brunker!!" in a panicked voice and then I heard her say it again more loudly. It was then that I jumped out of the way so I wouldn't run into her at the top of the escalator! I suddenly saw the problem. Her shoelace was stuck in the escalator. My initial response was to ask her if she was okay and then try to get the boot off of her but people were going to cram into us so I yanked as hard as I could and then I did it again and finally we both went tumbling as the shoe lace broke free and an old lady yelled at us in German because we were in her way! Man that scared me but I was thankful that neither my student or I are screamers under stress. I am just quiet and try to act as quickly as I can to solve the problem. She was fine but scared and now makes sure her shoes are tied tight when she gets on escalators! Thank you Lord she wasn't hurt and I was able to free her. :)

Photo Challenge - Day 27

2011-11-27T20:09:00.000+01:00

The theme is 'daily routine'. I enjoy when my classroom runs smoothly but really like to spice up a routine on occasion. Here is part of my daily routine today...

Photo Challenge - Day 26

2011-11-26T20:03:00.000+01:00

Today's theme is transportation. I am so very thankful for transportation here in Vienna because it gives me a sense of freedom to explore! We have the u-bahn, straßenbahn, train, car, plane, and my most used form of transportation.....

My feet

Photo Challenge - Day 25

2011-11-25T19:58:00.000+01:00

Today's theme is artwork. I do not have a lot of artwork hanging around my apartment but I do have quilted wall hangings. I consider them artwork so here is a picture of one of them...

Can you find the mistake? We only realized it after we were completely finished. I like the 'mistake' because it reminds me that things do not need to be perfect to be beautiful and cherished by God. It also reminds me that others may not see the mistakes or imperfections that we do. As children of God He loves us and doesn't see our imperfections.

Photo Challenge - Day 24

2011-11-24T13:46:00.000+01:00

Today's theme is 'gratitude'. The sun came out today and I am so thankful for it. Colorado usually has over 300 days of sunshine each year. I miss the sun greatly living here in Vienna because it hardly ever comes out from November to March. Here is the picture taken from our apartment.

Photo Challenge - Day 23

2011-11-23T13:41:00.000+01:00

Today's theme is 'in your closet'. I do not have a closet here but this is where I hang my clothes.

Photo Challenge - Day 22

2011-11-22T13:34:00.000+01:00

Today's theme is clothing. This is the clothing I wear daily from this point until about late March.

It has gotten cold here and my coat, hat (made by my friend Melissa M.), and scarf are happy companions to keep me warm as I walk around Vienna to and from the U-bahn, school, and Christmas markets.

Photo Challenge - Day 21

2011-11-21T16:54:00.000+01:00

The theme today is where you sleep. I sleep here:

On my bed, almost always, you will find my purple quilt. It is my favorite blanket ever because Carrie's family all got together and surprised me with it as a college graduation gift! Each block was made by one of her family members and I LOVE IT! It make me happy and reminds me that I am loved!

Photo Challenge - Day 20

2011-11-20T16:38:00.000+01:00

Today's theme is 'seasonal'. I thought there is nothing more seasonal than the Christmas markets. Here is one that is open and on the way to our church. I hope to get a night shot of some of my favorite Christmas markets sometime soon. I am thankful for Christmas markets because they make being away from family and friends in America during the holidays easier. They are unique and a fun new tradition to my Christmas celebration.

Photo Challenge - Day 19

2011-11-19T18:07:00.001+01:00

Today's theme is 'best friend'. I have never been one to have a lot of friends but the ones I have I cherish. My two closest or best friends are Carrie and my littlest sister Chante.

This is the best picture I could find of the three of us. Chante and Carrie get me and love me unconditionally. They are also not afraid to tell me to be quiet and remember to trust. It actually goes both ways. We learn a lot from each other. We laugh a lot. We encourage one another along this road of life. We pray for each other, cry with each other, but most importantly we remind one another to continually turn to the Lord and strengthen each of our relationships with Him.

Photo Challenge - Day 18

2011-11-18T19:29:00.001+01:00

Today's theme is 'something new'.

I have two things that are new.

One makes me laugh a lot. The other makes me excited about the possibilities!

Meet my newest student who is from Africa and my new math curriculum which I truly enjoy teaching from! Thank you Lord for new things which add spice to life and interesting ways to challenge my students! :)

Photo Challenge - Day 17

2011-11-17T21:12:00.000+01:00

Today's theme is memories. I had a rough time with this one due to the fact I am already pretty homesick! While thinking about what to take a picture of I remembered that I, for some reason, have some of my ballet stuff here from when I was a child. I did ballet for many years starting around 8 years old. I loved it! I loved learning the new routines, practicing, even tap dancing! It was so fun and I miss it some days.

Recital costume and a tiny ballet shoe. I cannot believe my feet were that small when I was 8! Ha!

I am thankful for memories. Even the ones that don't always put a huge smile on my face like my ballet stuff does! I am thankful for parents that loved me so much and we willing to let me try ballet and tap just because I thought I would like it. It was such a blessing!

Photo Challenge - Day 16

2011-11-16T20:17:00.000+01:00

Today's theme is animals. This was an easy one only because Carrieand I are cat-sitting two lovely kitties this year. Here they are intheir loveliness!

Newton is the orange kitty and Marille is the calico

I have always owned a cat. I was shocked to discover, when I wasin college, that I am allergic to cats. My allergist told me to keep the cat,as it will build up my tolerance. I gladly said okay! He then saidthat when I have kids I should let them roll around in the dirt and get dirtythen let them stay that way for a few hours before I wash them! Ha! That makes me laugh but makes sense because, as he said, since I haveallergies my children are more likely to have allergies so I need to allow themto build up tolerances as well. I guess this means that my children willhave pets. They bring happiness and help children learn responsibility,hopefully! I am thankful for cats today because I am still allergic tothem but not nearly as badly as I could be! Thank you Lord for animalsand all of the beauty and lessons they bring! :)

Photo Challenge - Day 15

2011-11-15T23:00:00.000+01:00

I have been pleasantly surprised at how I have come to love doing these posts. Normally blogging can go either way for me. Either I am in the right mind frame to clearly write about an experience or I am not. With this photo challenge I think most days about what I will take a picture of to fully capture the theme and then I sit down to write and the words just flow. It has been very good for me to find moments of thankfulness throughout my days even if it is within the strange concept of a photo challenge.

Here is technology for the day...

In this picture you will find three things I am grateful for thanks to technology. Number 1 is my computer and the internet connected to it! As a missionary I ever so grateful for the internet that makes connecting with beloved family members so easy. Number 2 is the beautiful picture of my littlest sister. I love her to pieces and without a digital camera I wouldn't have her picture as my desktop pic on my computer. The third one is MagicJack. I am so thankful that I have Magic, as I call it. I am able to call anywhere in America and connect with my other world fairly effortlessly. This is all assuming the internet is working correctly. So, today I am thankful for technology and the knowledge of how to use it. I am also thankful that the Lord allowed me to be a missionary during this time of technological advances! :)

Photo Challenge - Day 14

2011-11-14T20:44:00.000+01:00

Today's theme is movement. It is really hard to get good pictures of the little monkeys on the move! They move so quickly after all! So, I chose this funny picture instead!

I was thinking about movement today while watching my fast moving kiddos run around. I realized that I cherish all movement from breathing to walking. The Lord has blessed me with being able to live a normal life and has chosen me to tell the world about Him. I am honored but also realize that every small movement from breathing to laughing to walking to the Ubahn is a precious miracle. I was also thinking about my siblings who are physically disabled and how they longed to run and play with us. We always tried to include them in our baseball games and life in general but I am sure it had to be hard for them. Due to these experiences, I am ever so grateful for movement in my life. Thank you Lord for such a precious gift of life, movement, and a family to remind me of your gifts.

Photo Challenge - Day 13

2011-11-13T16:49:00.001+01:00

Today's theme is 'the written word'. I love words. They speak deeply to me. Here is my picture of 'the written word' or 'love notes' as I like to call them...

This is a picture of some of the cards that have been sent to Carrie and me while we have been in Vienna. When I think about them they warm my heart. They remind me that I am not forgotten, I am loved, and they make me feel special. Thank you to those of you who send written words of encouragement, or love notes. You are certainly showing God's love to others that you touch with your notes! :)

Photo Challenge - Day 12

2011-11-12T21:00:00.000+01:00

Today's theme is 'hands'. I love hands. They remind me of love, age, tenderness. Here are the hands that make me laugh a lot these days...

This picture makes me smile. It reminds me of the fun we have in our classroom. I love all of these personalities that belong to these hands. They work hard and have fun at the same time! I also love how they all felt free to put their hand in the shot however they felt like it should be in there. I enjoy seeing their personalities come out even in photos of their hands! Thank you Lord for such precious children that I get the opportunity to minister to!

Photo Challenge - Day 11

2011-11-11T21:54:00.001+01:00

Today's theme is 'something old'. I walk past this something old several times a day.

I am not sure what this statue represents but it reminds me of safety in that if a fire breaks out this giant Roman soldier will come put it out and rescue all of us! There is not a plaque to aid in the understanding of this statue thing but I find it interesting nonetheless.

Sorry for the grainy picture but this plaque is close to the exit of the path we walk to get to the ubahn or many stores. The sign says Czernin - Passage built 1898. I think that counts as old. :)

Photo Challenge - Day 10

2011-11-10T20:14:00.001+01:00

Today's challenge theme is 'nature'. It didn't get a chance to take a picture today. I was hardly outside so taking pictures of nature was out of the question unless I was walking to and from school or the U-bahn. So, I cheated a bit and am using a picture from the summer.

This is a picture I took after a long hike into Rocky Mountain National Park. I love this picture because I reminds me of peace, God's wonderful creativity, and my beloved Colorado. I sat on the large rock after a long hard hike for an asthmatic and was just at peace within God's presence. It was quite an accomplishment for me to make it here and I was proud of myself but I also realized that God is always looking out for me and knew that I would one day accomplish this feat even when I didn't think I could ever do it! I am thankful for nature and that I was able to grow up in Colorado to be surrounded by amazing views of God's beautiful artistic eye.

Photo Challenge - Day 9

2011-11-09T18:09:00.000+01:00

Today's gratitude photo challenge's theme is 'an inspiring person'. I had a hard time with this one as it made me even more homesick than I already was! I initially thought of my parents and then realized that I am not in Colorado and cannot take their picture. Then I wanted to play the Jesus card but, well you cannot take a picture of Jesus! So, I thought long and hard and realized that there are MANY people here I admire which made this task even harder. Then three specific people stood out. Here they are...

These three cuties are students at ICSV. I had two of them last year and really, truly miss having them in my class. These three inspire me because they struggle with school. They struggle in reading just like I did as a child. Regardless of how much they struggle or how hard life here in Vienna is for them one thing about these cuties is that they NEVER lose their joy, their tenderheartedness, or their love for God. I always stand back and watch these cuties and realize that I aspire to have their joy on a daily basis. Not that fake kind of joy that some adults have mastered but that child-like joy that comes from deep within a person. That joy that knows that the Lord is ever-present and always guiding our steps. That joy that allows a person to look past their current struggle or worry to see the need in others and remember that they might be encouraged by my friendship or joy today! These three inspire me to be a better teacher and person on a daily basis.

Photo Challenge - Day 8

2011-11-08T18:05:00.002+01:00

Today's theme is 'favorite color'. I wasn't sure if this meant my favorite color or what so I chose mine. :)

Purple is my favorite color. Sometimes I flop between blue and purple but I think, deep down, purple is my favorite. I like blue because I love the color of my eyes. Purple is fantastic. Nothing on me is purple, well except for the time the nurse blew my vein with an IV and the next day my entire arm was purple! Ha! That was special. I like purple because it is a girly color but not overly used. It is the color of royalty in the Bible and purple lilacs are my absolute favorite flower. Purple seems to make me think of strength and deep love. It is a calming, refreshing color to me. So, that is my favorite color!

Gratitude Photo Challenge - Something Funny

2011-11-07T18:22:00.002+01:00

A friend ~~challenged~~ encouraged me to try the 30 day Photo gratitude challenge. There is a list of themes to capture a picture of each day. It sounds like fun but I was hesitant because I am not the best photographer but I do enjoy a new way to see God's blessings within my life no matter how small. So, here is today's theme: Something Funny. I didn't have to look far to find something funny within my classroom. Here are two funny things from today...

My boys were eating lunch in my classroom today. This funny one chose to eat on the stool rather than at a desk or table. We all laughed pretty hard as he looked like a little old man while trying to eat at his stool! Ha!

We are doing a circle story unit. We read "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura Numeroff and then made the character to hang around our classroom. Here is a pretty good likeness of the main character in the book.

Here is an intrepretation of that same character! At least he did it and felt free enough to add his own style to it! Ha! I giggle everytime I see it! :)

Taking the animals to see the wild animals!

2011-10-31T01:00:00.000+01:00

Carrie and I took our 30 animals to see the wild animals at the zoo. We did this to enhance our study of animal habitats! It was a fun trip despite the cooler weather! They had a grand time on their scavenger hunt through the zoo to locate which animals lived in which of the 6 habitats we had been studying! So fun! These kids are so cute and fun to hang out with. We had marvelous parent volunteers that made this field trip go smoothly!

Some cuties!

Posing for their teacher!

Facinated by the Hippos!

So cute!

Quite regal

Watching the Seal feeding

The most handsome 3rd graders at ICSV

More cute ones!

An Honor

2011-10-28T01:00:00.000+02:00

I, Amanda, was asked to speak at the Middle School and High school Spiritual Emphasis Week a few weeks ago. It was quite an honor to be selected. I was asked to share my testimony from my birth until my calling to Vienna. I am really glad that I was required to do camp counselor training many years before so I was able to quickly write up testimony and then pray that I wouldn't throw up from nerves as I spoke to the 'big' kids. I was so nervous speaking but the Lord used my words to impact the 'big' kids in a marvelous ways! Thank you Lord for choosing me to live this life where I can glorify you. Thank you for allowing me to always see you working within my life. Thank you for your fingerprints that are clearly evident within my life story!

Long Night of Museums

2011-10-25T01:00:00.000+02:00

We recently attended Vienna's Long Night of Museums that is held here in Vienna once a year. We love it! You pay 13 Euro and on one night hundreds of museums are open and you can go to as many as you are physically able! This year we went to:

The Treasury - where the crown jewels are
The National Library
The Albertina - an art museum
The Globe Museum
The Paper Museum
The Old Instrument Museum
The Jewish Museum
The Roman Museum

It was a fun night but quite tiring! Here are some pics of some of those sights...

Furry Friends

2011-10-22T01:00:00.000+02:00

We are cat sitting some furry friends named Marille and Newton this year! We love them! They are quite relaxing and a good form of destressing therapy when we pet them! Newton has really warmed up to me and will come sit next to me begging to be petted every morning and evening. We are so happy to keep them safe this year but are sad that there are so many people on staff that are allergic to them!

Need some socks?

2011-10-19T01:00:00.000+02:00

Carrie learned how to knit a pair of socks at the same time this summer and now there is no stopping her! She has made several pairs of socks and some really cute ones for her soon to be new cousin! She loves it and it most certainly keeps her ADD hands busy! :)

Carrie's Birthday

2011-10-16T14:17:00.001+02:00

I know this is late but Carrie's birthday was August 26 and a few friends and I took her to Salzburg to celebrate. It was a surprise to her! I told her the day before that she would need to pack a bag for the weekend and feed the cats enough to help them survive two nights without us! She was shocked but went along with it. We saw beautiful Salzburg and even went on the Sound of Music tour. It was a lot of fun and I think she really enjoyed her celebration!

You would think...

2011-10-02T17:38:00.000+02:00

You would think that living in this mobile community would make us very good at saying goodbye. Well that is not true. It actually gets harder and harder. My heart seems to hurt more and more with each one. Then I remember that the Lord put us here for a purpose and will walk alongside us with these goodbyes.

This last week we said good bye to this smiley one:

Please join us in prayer for little miss smiley. Pray that all we have taught her about the Lord will stick with her as she transitions back into her "home" culture.

A Confession...

2011-09-23T01:00:00.000+02:00

All 5 of you that read this blog won't believe this but guess what? I, Amanda, am the Elementary Chapel Worship Leader this year. I know...you cannot believe it can you? Please feel free to reread the second sentence again to really, fully, understand or believe what you have just read. Now, let me explain. This is a "job" I volunteered for. Yes, I know you are still shocked. Trust me the complete understanding of the "job" didn't hit me for a while! Guess, what?? I LOVE IT!!! It is so much fun to get my rambunctious group of 5th grade worship team participants together each week to practice and see the love of worshipping the Lord in their eyes. I love choosing the songs and having the kiddos offer their suggestions and favorites. I love listening to the songs each week over and over to get the words deep within my soul. My most favorite things is to worship our wonderful Savior each Thursday morning with about 100 of the cutest children in Austria! Their voices bring tears to my eyes and actions to the songs start asthma attacks within my lungs! :)

Here is a link to a song (song link) I am sooo excited to try with the kiddos. I really love the words and hope they are a blessing to you and 100 of the cutest kids in Austria! :)

Kids Say the Darndest Things...

2011-09-19T01:00:00.000+02:00

So, Carrie and I have some natural comedians in our classes this year! They are hilarious. Here are some of the funny comments from the last few weeks:

We all have these vents that sometimes blow air in our classrooms. One day it was quite warm and several of my students were sitting in front of the "fan" to read. It suddenly turned off (this is normal) and a cute kid shouted out, "Miss Brunker! The furniture is broken. It just turned off!" Apparently he calls the vent/fan a furnace but instead used furniture! Hahaha!

One student has braids in her hair almost daily. One day while walking down the hall to recess another student exclaims, "She has only 6 hairs today!" I turned around and said only six hairs! Wow, it looks like she has many more than that but only 6 braids! We all had a good laugh about that!

In computer class one student helps another and as a thank you the other student says, "Thanks for the expression, dude!!!" He meant to say thanks for the explaination!

Memorizing Bible verses each week is hard for some students. Several students in my class decided to be encouraging after some of their classmates finished saying their memory verse to me for their test. I blessed my heart to hear one student say, "You are really good at hiding God's word in your heart!"

Reaching the nations...one child at a time.

2011-09-17T01:00:00.000+02:00

There are approximately 50 nations represented at ICSV this year! I am excited to see what the Lord will do. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we minister to these nations the Lord has entrusted us with.

ABCs.... Summer Review

2011-09-14T01:00:00.000+02:00

To review what our whirlwind summer looked like here the ABCs:

A - automobiles - We HAD to drive to get anywhere. It is not either of our favorite things to do!
B - books - We visited bookstores and loved the selection all in English!
C - collecting items that we would need at home and school for the year
D - dentist - Amanda had to have an expensive root canal and crown
E - easing back into American culture and volume...this took a while!
F - Food - enjoying American food and mom's home cooking!
G - gas/petrol/benzine (whatever you call it) - it was expensive but necessary
H - Hiking in beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park
I - interview - we did a video interview for our church's Mission Month in October
J - Jeans - Finding ones that fit and will last a year, hopefully more, was a trick. They were even on sale!
K - Knitting Socks - Carrie learned how and now there is no stopping her!
L - Lost Luggage - When we arrived back in Vienna our luggage simply disappeared for a week!
M - Michigan - We visited our friends Cindi and Kerry in their lovely home in Michigan.
N - New Haven, IN - We spent a weekend with our friends, nieces, and nephews. It was wonderful to catch up after four years.
O - Operating Room - Amanda's brother, Trent, had brain surgery. He is doing well.
P - Praising God for his Faithfulness in always supplying just what we need right when we need it.
Q - Quilling - We learned how to paper quill and it is a new favorite craft. Liz is very good at it!
R - Race - we ran in a 5K in Parker, Colorado and the altitude just about killed us!
S - Sharing pictures of our ministry here in Vienna.
T - Time - there is never enough time when you only get to see people once a year!
U - Underwater - We went rafting with friends down Clear Creek and were glad that we didn't go underwater!
V - Visiting family and friends in Colorado, Indiana and Michigan
W - Watching tv with Grandma Wiggins - We just love her!
X - eXcited - Excited to hug my little niece Elsie and I was there to watch her learn to walk!!
Y - Yogurt - Frozen yogurt seems to be all the rage in CO! It is yummy and we enjoyed it!
Z - Zug Um Zug - This is a fun board/strategy game that we were able to play with friends

And We're Off To The Races....

2011-09-11T16:51:00.000+02:00

Hey Faithful Readers!

Sorry we have seemed to disappear from the blog. No worries! We are back but are catching up from summer support raising efforts, visiting family, praying for family that are sick or having surgeries, renewing passports and visas, setting up classrooms for the new school year, trying to stay healthy, teaching, and getting to know new students that seem to appear every week. The school has a new high in enrollment and Carrie is directly impacted by this on a weekly basis! We now have 50 different nations represented within our student body and staff. Praise the Lord! He is ever faithful!

As of Monday Carrie will have 18 2nd graders to love and mold this school year. Please continue to pray for Carrie and all of these nations. These are the nations represented within Carrie's class:

Ukraine
Peru
India
Philppines (4)
Germany/Nigeria/Austria
Great Britian
Austria/India/S. Africa
South Korea
Namibia
Netherlands
Austria/Philippines
Slovenia
USA
Mongolia
Austria/Nigeria

Amanda's class only has 13 kiddos. They are great kids and Carrie has prepared them well for 3rd grade. Here are the countries they are from:

Iraq
Namibia
Philippines
South Korea (3)
Bulgeria
Zimbabwe
Ethopia (2)
USA (2)
Peru

Madurodam

2011-05-17T05:00:00.001+02:00

The de Jong family treated us to a day at Madurodam. This is a miniature village type place where all of the famous or historical places in Holland are miniaturized and displayed in this amazing area.

The de Jongs looking at the entire complex of Madurodam!

Anne Frank House

2011-05-16T05:00:00.001+02:00

It was a moving experience to visit the Anne Frank House. It was clear that Anne didn't have hope in the end and that has weighed heavily on me since visiting the museum. If only she would have known Jesus as her personal savior I think there would have been hope in Anne's heart. She was a smart, introspective young lady whose parents didn't know how deep she was. She was also very brave. I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to visit this museum.

Amsterdam - Day 2

2011-05-15T05:00:00.001+02:00

Day 2 of our Amsterdam trip consisted of Windmills and wooden shoes (clogs) in the morning.

Clogs from around the world. I thought these were quite interesting.

Making the clogs. They use a template (blank) kind of like is used when making keys.

He is showing us his clogs and how to get the correctly fitting clogs.

Carrie trying on clogs that fit her.

My feet in clogs.

Some beautiful houses outside of the clog village.

The windmills. I liked them a lot! :)

Keukenhof

2011-05-13T05:00:00.001+02:00

For Spring Break Carrie and I (as well as two other teachers) were invited by a family at school to travel to Amsterdam with them. I was an amazing trip! We were very comfortable and were able to stay with a relative of this family! They were wonderful and we felt so blessed. On our first day in Amsterdam we went to Keukenhof which is a HUGE flower garden mostly consisting of tulips. It was so beautiful and reminded us that God is so creative!

This was one spot were you could see fields of tulips!

RECESS!

2011-05-11T05:00:00.001+02:00

Recess is the favorite part of school for most elementary aged children worldwide. Recently, Carrie tooks some cute photos of her kids participating in this most favorite activity.

Cuteness 1

Cuteness 2 and no she is not Indian..she just decided to use maker to put a red dot on her forehead.

Cuteness 3

Swing action shot. Most all playground swings here in Vienna look like this.

Tough boy 1

Tough boy 2

The 2nd grade boys LOVE everything about Soccer.

Cuteness 4

I giggle everytime..

2011-05-08T05:00:00.001+02:00

Carrie and I received this tea in the mail from a good friend at Christmas time! It is very good tea. I was looking at the ingredients the other day. Don't ask me why. I guess it is just a habit when you have food allergies. There are not many ingredients but one in particular makes me giggle each time I see it...Natural Sugar Cookie Flavoring. I think that is the ingredient that makes it such a yummy tea!

Did you see that?!

2011-05-05T05:00:00.002+02:00

Coming home on the U-bahn one day I saw something that really confused me. So, I had to take a second look but the Ubahn was pulling away by that point. I was, however, able to get a second look and this is what I saw...

A sign advertising our school!

It is at the Kaisermuehlen stop. This is also the stop for the United Nations and the IAEA.

Full of Cuteness...

2011-05-02T05:00:00.003+02:00

Every year, for Book Month, the Kindergarten (called Primary here) through 2nd grade classes perform a musical based on a book. This year it was called Goldie and the Bears, based off of, you guessed it, Goldilocks and the Three Bears! The kiddos were so CUTE! Soak in the cuteness below with the pictures! They will make you smile and your heart melt just a tad! ;)

There's Goldie!

Flowers and Trees of the forest singing their little hearts out!

Baby Bear is shocked

A cute flower in the garden

An adorable Mama Bear

Welcome David

2011-04-29T05:00:00.001+02:00

David recently joined the 3rd grade class! He is so fun to have around! Welcomd David we are so glad you are here!

Baby Quilt #5

2011-04-26T20:56:00.001+02:00

This is baby quilt #5. It is for our friend here who are sports enthusiasts. Happy Birthday Noah Robert. We hope you love this quilt forever and ever! :)

A paper pieced sports quilt for Noah Robert!

Yummy-ness

2011-04-24T05:00:00.001+02:00

Katie asked us to teach her how to make empanadas. We happily obliged but warned her that we are not professional empanada makers since we are both of European/German decent! :) Here is the yummy-ness in all of it's glory!

All-Day Read in

2011-04-21T05:00:00.001+02:00

Another activity of book month is an all day read in. It is a lot of fun. We all wear our pajamas and read our favorite books outloud and silently. The kids make 'tents' to read in and we have a grand time.

IFFN

2011-04-18T05:00:00.001+02:00

International Family Fun Night is always one of my favorite evenings of our school year. We get together to celebrate the many different cultures within our ICSV community. We experience cultural dress, food, and talents. It is a blast and so fun to see everyone in their country garb. Americans are quite boring compared to all of the fabulous outfits from around the world!

Namibia and Ethiopia

South Korea and Ethiopia

South Korea

United States of America and Zimbabwe

China

The Netherlands (Holland)

Nigeria

Book Costume Character Contest

2011-04-15T05:00:00.001+02:00

Book Month is in March at our school. There are several fun activities to encourage reading and creativity within our elementary student body. One of my favorite activities is the costume contest. Here are a few pictures of the cuteness and creativity.

Brittany from Alvin and the Chipmunks

A Bug's Life - Butterfly

Baseball player

Michael Jackson

Olivia the Pig

Soccer players

Patrick Star from Spongebob Squarepants

The Mouse from If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

Pinkalicious from the book Pinkalicious

King Tut's Mummy

The cutest little Mario I have ever seen

Welcome Erik!

2011-04-12T05:00:00.001+02:00

Welcome to the 3rd grade Erik! We are so happy you are here! You make us laugh and are so smart!

Views of Krakow

2011-04-09T05:00:00.001+02:00

Krakow is a cute city. There are a lot of historical buildings and it is all just beautiful to be able to take in.

The castle

I loved the color of these buildings

The fabric market which has been turned into a touristy market

I met a man. He gave me flowers! I think he is a keeper.

Always Remember

2011-04-06T05:00:00.001+02:00

We traveled with some friends to Krakow, Poland for Energy Break. While there we visited Auschwitz. It was a moving experience and one that I will never forget.

The registration building at Auschwitz 1

I found a Brunker who was a prisoner at Auschwitz. That was shocking to look down and see that.

The poison used to exterminate the prisoners at the "showers"

Pictures of Polish prisoners. These pics lined many, many walls.

Auschwitz 2 - barracks

Registration building at Auschwitz 2

The bunks

Sorry it is blurry. more bunks

Size of the train car used to transport prisoners to Auschwitz 2

This is a memorial to all that died. They have many of these all lined up in all of the different languages of the former prisoners.

An Accomplishment...

2011-04-03T05:00:00.002+02:00

I have been working on this for quite some time and finally success! There were several times where I thought it was printed wrong and therefore impossible.

Finished!!

Science Field Trip: Sound

2011-03-31T05:00:00.000+02:00

To finish up our sound unit in science we went to the House of Music. It is a wonderful museum here in Vienna that is amazing at enhancing our unit study of sound. There are four floors of interactive exhibits where students can interact with different elements of sound and/or music. If you are going to visit Vienna with children I highly recommend this museum.

I can't hear it!

cutie pie

Pure concentration and cuteness

Making sound with sensors

Following the musical road and smiling while doing it!

Listening hard

Frozen Toes...

2011-03-28T05:00:00.001+02:00

Every year we take the entire elementary ice skating four times. It is fun but this year it was EXTREMELY cold! I thought my toes were going to freeze off eventhough I had two pairs of socks on! Here are some cuties on the ice!

The peace sign is a little hard with gloves on!

A sister and brother with a crazy 2nd grader in the background!

brothers

a speed skater

So much fun!

Baby Quilt #4

2011-03-26T05:00:00.001+01:00

This baby quilt is for little Riley Warren. Little Riley's middle name is in honor of a missionary here who recently passed away in a skiing accident. It is a wonderful tribute to Warren who was a man after God's own heart.

Putting together the top of the quilt

Happy Birthday Riley!

Baby Quilt #3

2011-03-24T05:00:00.001+01:00

There are a lot of little ones that have been born or are going to be born before this school year is finished. Carrie, Liz and I love to quilt so we have been making baby quilts like crazy people! Below is a picture of baby quilt #3. Baby Izaak really likes his new quilt!

Izaak's mom and Liz with Izaak's quilt

On the Way..

2011-03-21T05:00:00.004+01:00

On the way home from Christmas, with Rachel in Germany, we stopped by Rome for a few days. It was colder there than we anticipated and really neat to see all of the Roman ruins that I've only heard about or seen in pictures.

In front of the Colosseum.

I have ALWAYS wanted to see this statue in person and now I have! It was beautiful!

We mailed postcards from the Vatican.

Amanda being silly and getting tired of walking and walking and walking to get to the Sistine Chapel!

This ramp was quite cool!

Carrie and a tiny car.

Christmas Update

2011-03-19T16:19:00.000+01:00

Hey all! Sorry if it seems as though we disappeared! We kind of did. There has been a lot going on updating this blog was on the list but at the bottom. Sorry. So, we have a lot of updating to do. We'll start with Christmas. For Christmas Carrie and I went to Kandern, Germany to visit our friend Rachel who is a missionary teacher at Black Forest Academy. It was a fun time to celebrate Christmas with a friend and see her world in Germany.

Merry Christmas!

Cute Kandern House

This was an interesting yard with a lot of gnomes.

A Beautiful afternoon walk

Making music...

2010-12-22T04:00:00.002+01:00

I was asked play the clarinet as part of the worship team at church on Sunday. I agreed to participate but with apprehension in my voice! I am never confident at my ability in anything but am willing to try my best. I am really glad I participated. I had forgotten how much I missed playing. It was quite soothing to my soul to play again. I played Angels from the Realms of Glory, Angels we Have Heard on High, and O Come All ye Faithful. Playing those songs most certainly put a spring in my step and put me in the Christmas spirit! Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you find time to rejuvenate your soul as you remember the true reason for the season.

Biscuits

2010-12-20T04:00:00.002+01:00

On Saturday or sometimes Sunday mornings Carrie and I like to make biscuits. The other day we decided to jazz it up a bit and instead of making them round, like normal, we did this...

Yummy star shaped biscuits!

Rathaus Christmas Market Field Trip

2010-12-18T18:26:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday we (2nd and 3rd grade) took a field trip to the Rathaus (City Hall) to do a Christmas craft and visit the Christmas Market. It snowing and wet the entire time but we had a blast!

On the U-bahn headed to our field trip. We had wonderful parent volunteers!

Getting help from the Rathaus craft experts

What?! You want me to smile?

Some beautiful girls inside and out!

Excited to start our craft! They're so cute!

Working hard on their photo albums

Planning her next move

Look at my decoupage letter box!

2nd Grade Moments

2010-12-15T04:02:00.000+01:00

We have been having a wonderful year in 2nd grade! We are learning a lot and are loving school as we go! Here are some recent pictures of my 2nd graders:

Hey listen to this!

What are you looking at?

Every so tired!

Making my placemat.

Having fun with a math game.

Sharing a story together

Best buds and so cute

The learning environment

Recent Quilting Projects

2010-12-12T04:00:00.003+01:00

Here are some photos of our recent quilting endeavors! There are many couples on staff this year who are expecting babies. We have several quilts to make! Luckily our friend Liz is willing to lend time and creative energy to complete this monumental task!

Heart quilt for baby Sophie.

Butterfly quilt for my niece Elsie.

Animal quilt for baby Daniel.

Winter Recital

2010-12-08T17:07:00.003+01:00

This week our music lesson students had their Winter Recital. It is a fun night where each student in the school who is taking a private music lesson showcases their ability by playing one or two songs. We have students who are playing the violin, piano, guitar, and clarinet. Carrie has one piano student and Amanda has two clarinet students. Here are some pics from that night. Enjoy.

Playing Silent Night

Concentrating really hard but doing very well!

An amazing violinist!

So cute!

St. Nicholas Day

2010-12-06T16:52:00.003+01:00

Here in Austria, and I think much of Europe, St. Nicholas Day is celebrated December 6th. Now I know that Santa Claus and St. Nicholas are different, but to celebrate with my Kinder we make moveable Santa Claus'. Here is a cute 3rd grader and his Santa Claus. Can you figure out what he forgot to put on his Santa? I laughed pretty hard! Please know that this was not on purpose just a formality when the Santa character was put together! :)

Santa is missing something. Can you figure out what it is?

Physics of Sound: Sound Vibrations

2010-12-04T04:00:00.001+01:00

In science we are learning about Sound vibrations. It is a lot of fun! They kids are thoroughly enjoying this unit and I think they wish it could last forever. I am excited that they are learning and remembering all of the vocabulary they are being inundated with!

Wow! That is sooo cool! I can hear the tuning fork and my heart beeping.

Can you hear it?

What does the vibration do to the ball?

The vibration makes the ping pong ball bounce or "dance" as the Kinder called it!

A day with the Cardenas Family

2010-12-02T15:31:00.001+01:00

Recently, one of our ICSV families invited Carrie and me over to spend a Saturday with them. It was a wonderful time. We hiked through the forrest to find an elusive pond, ate a lot of yummy food, and stopped at a cute bakery/coffee shop to warm up from our hike. All in all it was a wonderful day!

Hiking to the pond

They wanted to know if they could swim! It was freezing!

Carrie and me at the beautiful pond!

Waiting patiently for his piece of chocolate cake!

Very yummy and warm!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T15:19:00.002+01:00

We had a wonderful time with friends to celebrate this Thanksgiving! Here are some fun pics to illustrate the previous sentence:

We started the morning with making yummy cinnamon rolls!

Amanda enjoying her scrumptious (nut-free) cinnamon roll.

The turkey (obviously)!

The full dinner guests.

The very full tiny fridge after the Thanksgiving feast!

The Grandpa

2010-10-19T18:59:00.000+02:00

Many of you may not know that I play the clarinet. I do not consider myself fantastic but I do truly enjoy playing. Since coming to Vienna I have also discovered that I love giving clarinet lessons. It is a lot of fun and a wonderful ending to a sometimes hard day. Today, during my Wednesday clarinet lesson, we were practicing several songs and techniques over and over to help my young clarinetist hear how the songs are supposed to sound. At one point he stops playing and says, "Mine is a grandpa and yours is a man."

That is all he said.

I was stumped.

I sat there for a minute and went through everything I could think of that would explain why he was talking about a grandpa and a man. Finally, I turned to him and said, "what?" He then says that his clarinet sounds like an old clarinet that isn't working well and mine sounds younger like the man. HAHA! He is correct. The clarinet he is playing on does sound feeble and old and mine apparently does sound robust and younger! Ha! It still makes me giggle! I hope it gave you a smile today as well! Blessings!

The Joy of Laughter!

2010-10-16T21:51:00.001+02:00

Recently our elementary ELL (English Language Learner) teacher captured a video of one of my cute little ones. This little one LOVES to laugh and brings so much joy and sunshine into each day. I am blessed to have her in my class. Pray with me that all of the ICSV staff that work with her, will have the correct words to help lead her and her family to the wonderful knowledge and acceptance of the Lord in their lives. Click on the link to see a video of this cute one! Click here to see this 3rd grade cute one!

Memory Verse Madness...

2010-10-12T05:00:00.002+02:00

To help my students learn their memory verse we do a memory verse race each week. We each cut apart our memory verse and then mix it up in a big pile on our desk. Then I turn on the timer and the kiddos see how fast they can put it together. They have a blast trying to see how quickly they can put it together and see if they can beat their previous time. They always say, "This is so much fun Miss Brunker! Can we do it again?!"

I can write on the window?!

2010-10-10T07:18:00.001+02:00

Are you kidding, Miss Brunker, you're going to let us write on the window? That was the response my kiddos gave me when I told them that after they finished their assignment they could practice their spelling words by writing them on the window. Even after they had the 'Miss Brunker approved window writing markers' and were writing on the wall of windows in our classroom, they kept looking at me to receive reassuring nods that yes, it is okay! They are so cute and it is now the funnest way to learn their spelling words and memory verse ever (as they say!). Enjoy the pictures!

The faces of third grade

2010-10-01T05:00:00.008+02:00

Aren't they cute?! I love spending my time with these 14 smarty pants!

The darling girls!

The Amazing boys!

Second Grade at ICSV

2010-09-29T20:10:00.000+02:00

Welcome to the wonderful world of 2nd grade! Here are some pictures to show the 10 cuties that are in Miss Schreffler's class.

The entire cute bunch.

The handsome grade 2 boys.

The lovely girls!

A Unique Fashion Accessory

2010-09-15T06:00:00.015+02:00

Here's a cute one:

Here's the "normal" way to wear a lanyard pass while traveling to and from the bathroom:

Here's how this cute one came walking into the classroom with the lanyard pass! A new fashion statement I guess! She was laughing so hard when I took this photo that it took several tries but her cuteness still shines through! Priceless! :) Just an ordinary day in grade 3!!

A story of the headlines...

2010-09-12T04:02:00.002+02:00

A recent conversation during computer class:

"Can we wear the headlines Miss Schreffler?"
"What? You mean headphones? Why? There's no sound with what you are doing."
"I know, they look cool!"

The cool ones!

A cute one!

another cute one!

We shall see what new adventures occur as a result of the classroom teachers teaching their own computer classes this year! We are in for a lot of funny moments!

One of these things is not like the other...

2010-09-10T04:02:00.003+02:00

Actually we are all wearing the same color patterns but I am simply vertically challenged! We laughed pretty hard when we saw each person come down the stairs from staff devotions dressed fairly similar. Great minds think alike I guess. :)

A friend came to visit...

2010-09-08T17:08:00.000+02:00

I was surprised one morning by hearing my name called and then turning around to find one of my students holding a turtle! Meet Still...

Still, the Turtle, named as such because he holds very still.

and his owners!

Proud owners of Still!

I think Still truly enjoyed his day in 3rd grade! It was a blast to have him visit and I hope he brings along some hand sanitizer next time! :)

First two weeks of school...some observations

2010-09-05T13:46:00.000+02:00

The new name of our school: International Christian School of Vienna. Such a strong name to reflect our true international identity.

Our kiddos make us smile and we missed their laughter over the summer.
These kids are HILARIOUS! Their observations on life and school are pretty funny!
The transition from 2nd grade to 3rd grade seems to be a huge jump and the parents are a bit overwhelmed!
We forgot how tired teaching makes us!
In second and third grade we have 25 students (11 and 14 respectively) and they are from 16 different countries! We are blessed to be reaching so many nations with the love of the Lord!

September 1, 2010...

2010-09-01T19:44:00.000+02:00

we've been:
Buying: quinoa
Considering: the movie for movie night next Friday
Cooking: stuffed bell peppers and halved potatoes
Eating: cantaloupe and almonds (not at the same time)
Googleing : paper piecing patterns
Learning: all about diabetes as one of Amanda's students has it
Listening: Sabrina
Loving: gerber daisies
Planning: what to make for movie night dinner next Friday and what to give to parents for Back To School Night
Reading: books about mammals, books by Ken Gire, and books by C.S. Lewis
Watching: Singin' in the Rain and Sabrina
Wearing: long sleeves
Wishing: that migraine headaches wouldn't ever make their appearance
Thankful: for sewing buddies, game buddies, and friends
Writing: referrals for struggling students to receive extra help
Hoping: that it will warm up slightly. There is a fine line between comfortable cool and flat out cold and we have most certainly crossed the line here in Vienna!

Computer glitch...

2010-08-24T20:32:00.000+02:00

Due to a computer glitch I was supposed to teach a high school class of this...

while simultaneously teaching this today

Never a dull moment I tell you! I was wondering how that was going to work and luckily I was rescued and left to teach my cute "little ones" as they are often called by older "big" ones!

The Lord loves to bring a smile to my face!

Blessings!

A surprise in the box...

2010-08-20T22:14:00.002+02:00

Google image boxes not the real boxes that arrived today!

The containter arrived today. This means that all of our curriculum and supplies that we ordered in March finally arrived at school. This also means that many of us showed up outside to unload, sort, and inventory all of the items. Carrie and I were inventory buddies. We finished our first set of boxes from Oriental Trading and then moved on to a box of randomness and a few things were missing in those boxes. When we finished with that order, we moved on to the one sitting next to us. It was a lone box that no one was touching and it was a pretty silver color. So, we, being the diligent inventory control people that we are, start opening the box to inventory it. While opening it we discuss that it is a strange box and "isn't it a pretty silver color". When we get it open we are a bit surprised to discover newspaper as the filler for the box and then we see a black plastic trash bag. At this moment I start to smell something familiar and my brain is trying to connect the smell as I look down the inventory sheet and discovered that inside the box should be fetal pigs for the biology class to dissect. I quickly tell Carrie, "STOP, there are fetal pigs inside" as she is starting to attempt to open the black trash bag. Carrie promptly gets this horrified look on her face and jumps back! I then started laughing so hard I about had an asthma attack and we went to find someone else to inventory that box. I am still giggling as I type this! Hehe!

German success... no matter how small

2010-08-19T23:13:00.000+02:00

Hello or God's Greeting

So today, while walking with a group of friends to the U-bahn to go home from school, I heard this statement from a mother to her family... "Kindergarten ist nächste Woche." I immediately, without thinking, turn to my friends and happily announce, "Hey guess what?! Kindergarten is next week!" Well, had I thought about it I would have realized that my friends probably didn't hear this statement from the mom and I just sounded random and weird by suddenly and excitedly repeating it translated. Nonetheless, I was happy that I had German language success today regardless how small and dorky I sounded! It is most certainly the little things that matter! hehe

Official Vienna residents...

2010-08-14T21:11:00.000+02:00

Visiting friends this summer

As of August 14th we've been:
Buying: new yearly transportation passes - we were then asked for our pass while on the u-bahn so it was very handy to have the new ones! We were also able to pick up our new Schluesselkraft Visas and insurance cards. Yay!
Considering: that there is A LOT of work to be done in our classrooms before the first day of school which is next Monday. Anyone want to come help??! :)
Cooking: Buckeye balls and potato salad
Eating: yummy ribs at the staff BBQ
Googleing : the difference between wakeboards and skimboards
Learning: it is going to take a while for our brains to turn on to German and that we have a lot to do and not enough time to get it all done
Listening: Fee thanks to Chante and friends' stories of their summer adventures
Loving: our own beds they are as comfy as marshmallows
Planning: what order I need to do things to try and make a miracle happen before next Monday!
Reading: a women's devotional and a book about a small town doctor
Watching: Gilmore Girls and Chuck
Wearing: slip resistant Tevas that will help my toe heal
Wishing: that jetlag would pass quickly and there were more hours in the day
Thankful: for supporters and words of love and encouragement
Writing: lesson plan ideas - specifically month-by-month phonics ideas
Hoping: that the new staff at ICSV transition well and know that we care about them

God's Beauty...

2010-07-28T07:50:00.029+02:00

Our friends Jennifer and Bonnie love to treat us to a few days in God's beauty while we are in CO on summer home assignment. It has become a tradition to go to Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park for a few days. It is relaxing and very beautiful. I LOVE it and am so blessed to be able to share in viewing God's beauty with friends. Enjoy the pics below.

an interesting bridge

a babbling brook

Mills Lake in Estes Park, CO - Our final destination

Colorado update

2010-07-26T07:34:00.009+02:00

Amanda and Carrie in Estes Park at Mills Lake

As of July 26, we've been..

Buying: vitamins
Considering: the idea that the summer with family and friends is to short
Cooking: Quinoa and chicken
Eating: cabbage and corned beef
Googleing : nothing recently - this is quite surprising!
Learning: that my brother John's dog Cashew is an escape artist
Listening: to my mom tell me stories and share her heart with me
Loving: my family so much
Planning: what to pack for MI and wondering if everything will fit in our suitcases for Vienna
Reading: books by Earlene Fowler
Watching: American Pickers - my dad really likes it and I now know why
Wearing: shorts and a tee shirt
Wishing: my family could come to Europe
Thankful: for the encouraging meetings with supporters
Writing: directions
Hoping: that my friends and family know how much I love them

A praise...

2010-07-19T08:05:00.006+02:00

As many of you know Carrie and I are missionary teachers in Vienna, Austria. We are following the Lord's leading to impact the world through teaching at the only English speaking K-12 Christian School in Austria. Since we are missionaries we are required to raise our own support. All throughout the year and during the summers while we are on home assignment we are continually trying to get our support level at 100%. We desire to serve the Lord but not go into debt while doing it. The only way to make this happen is to continually be 100% supported.

When we stepped off of the plane into beautiful Colorado on June 22 we both needed to raise $1000 in monthly donations to be at the desired 100%. This is the moment where I am sure most of you are gasping and believe me I gasped a few times myself at the daunting task before us. During this time of complete reliance on God, because I knew I could not do this within my own power, I always remembered that the Lord is in control. He called me to be a missionary teacher in Vienna and He already has plans to provide for all of my needs including the financial ones! Well, neither of us are currently at 100% but we are sure close and it has been amazing to see supporters come out of the woodwork! I (Amanda) currently need $350 in additional commitments and Carrie needs $300. Will you join us in rejoicing at the Lord moving such huge mountains and carrying our burdens? Please also join us in praying that the additional monthly commitments come in soon and those that have made monthly commitments follow through with their giving! Thank you for blessing our lives with your prayers!

Meet Elsie!!

2010-07-17T07:45:00.004+02:00

This is Elsie the newest member of the happy Brunker family! I fell in love with her from the first moment I was able to touch her after I had stepped off the plane in June! She has officially stolen my heart! I love that little one! My brother and sister-in-law (I just call her my sister) are sooo good at taking care of her. I am not successful at feeding her without giving her the hiccups but they are! I've always known that they would make wonderful parents!

Things we've observed...

2010-07-14T00:57:00.000+02:00

DSW is huge and there are no shoes that will work 100% of the time! frustrating!
There are crazy drivers - I have been almost hit many times this last week of driving from Elizabeth to Denver and back.
It is possible for Amazon.com companies to send the incorrect item and then not believe you when you inform them of their mistake! frustrating!
God's continual provision is AMAZING!
The summer time with my family is certainly not long enough.
The stores are huge and cold due to air conditioning!
Ice cream isn't as good here. It is fun, however, to get ice cream with cookie dough in it! :)
Friends in the sates are wonderful!
6 month old Bernese Mountain dogs are a bit ADHD-ish but hilariously fun. She thinks I am her best friend.
Sunsets in CO are hands down one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen! I am reminded of this every year but the beauty still amazes me.

Colorado Moments...

2010-06-29T03:17:00.000+02:00

Carrie and I have been in Colorado for 6 days. I have remembered why I love Colorado! It will be a challenge to find time to rest while meeting with supporters/potential supporters, reconnecting with dear family, and reconnecting with faithful friends. Here are some of our reasons we love Colorado. These ideas have resurfaced after our year absence.

Enjoying the abundant sunshine! Colorado really does have more than 300 days of sunshine a year and we LOVE it!
Spending time with friends and family whom we have missed dearly.
The sunsets on the plains as well as in the mountains.
(in the states) Everyone speaks a language I can understand but sometimes I forget that I can respond in the same language!
The low, or non-existent humidity
Hugs of those we love and have missed!

These are just a few but know that we would love to get together with you while we are back in Colorado to create more memories. We leave Colorado on July 31. Hope to hear from you! :)

June 16 update

2010-06-16T16:21:00.000+02:00

As of June 16, 2010 we've been...
Buying: Supporter gifts
Considering: the fact that we fly to America for a month and a half in 6 days!!!
Cooking: Buckeye Balls
Eating: hummus and bell peppers
Googleing : weather in Vienna
Learning: that my new umbrella works quite well!
Listening: to a World Cup soccer game between Spain and Switzerland (but it is in German so this is hard)
Loving: the cute present I purchased for dear little Elsie
Planning: what to pack and where I am going to stay in CO
Reading: Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes
Watching: Some World Cup games
Wearing: a rain jacket as it is quite rainy today
Wishing: I was in the States right now
Thankful: that name cards and table number cards are finished
Writing: e-mails
Hoping: that the rain stops soon

Last day of school..

2010-06-08T17:06:00.001+02:00

Tomorrow, June 9, is the last day of school for the 2009-2010 school year at VCS. For seven years now this day is always bittersweet for me. It seems to be even harder here at VCS as I know many people who have impacted my life, students included, will leave soon and I may not see them again. I always wonder if I have impacted their lives as much as they've impacted mine. Have I done everything I can to comfort them and show them the love of Jesus? These are things that are going around and around in my mind. This years class was a lot of fun. They most certainly kept me laughing and we flew through the curriculum. They are sooo smart! I will miss them. I also know how tired I am so I am somewhat glad to be done but the nagging in my heart about missing those that are leaving seems to, at many times, overtake the weariness. For those of you that read this blog, which I am not sure there are many, please pray for the five students leaving from my class as well as the dear colleagues heading back to the States. They will be missed. Please pray that they know how much of an impact they have made and the lives they have changed because they stepped out to follow the Lord. Also, pray for their transitions (both students and staff) as it will be difficult to go back to a land that has changed so much since they were last there. Thank you and blessings.

Reasons to smile...

2010-05-26T12:35:00.000+02:00

The Lord graces us with many joyful moments throughout our days. There have been so many recently that I thought I should tell you about some. Due to the sheer volume of joyful moments, I will only list a few from the past two days! :)

Snails: In third grade we are studying the structures of life. We are highlighting plants and snails. My students crack me up. There are two of them (out of 14) that are so excited they cannot handle their excitement. They brought in snails and the class said, "ewww, Miss Brunker why would we want to study snails? They are gross and slimy." That was Friday's exclamation. Then today, Wednesday, I had to feed the sails (who knew they LOVE cucumbers?!). So, I was feeding the snails and then one by one the kiddos were around me squealing with delight as I let them touch them and feed them! They now LOVE it and my heart smiled because of it. These kids are so precious and they make learning about slimy things like snails so much fun!
Hair: The second grade girls were playing with each other's hair during recess. They decided to play with Carrie's hair and were shocked that her hair is softer than their African hair. Carrie then told them that Miss Brunker's hair is probably the softest she has ever felt and they should feel it later. Well, they found me in the hallway and were shocked to discover how soft my hair is. They giggled so hard while feeling our hair! It was so cute and definitely made us smile!

Thank you for sharing in our moments to smile! I hope you are able to see many evidences of God's hand and joy in your life today! :)

Faith in Action

2010-05-14T19:48:00.001+02:00

I get cute handmade cards (or love notes as I like to call them) from my students quite frequently. One particular student always reminds me of one amazing truth at the end of each love note. She always writes "I love you Miss Brunker and so does God" This makes my heart melt because every time I have received a note from her I have needed to hear those words and believe them deep down. I recently remembered that this little one accepted Christ as her Savior this school year. I can already see her living her faith by encouraging others and reminding them of the truth. Thank you Lord for allowing me to minister to these children from the nations of the world! Thank you to my financial supporters and prayer partners who come alongside my ministry here in Vienna. I most certainly couldn't reach these nations without your faith in me. Thank you!

13 May 2010

2010-05-13T19:49:00.002+02:00

As of May 13, 2010 we've been...
Buying: orange juice
Considering: the fact that it will be very difficult to put together a bed without the screws and bolts
Cooking: Perfectly Chocolate White Chocolate cookies and lasagna
Eating: mini cucumbers
Googleing : scarlet fever
Learning: that sun dresses are cute but I do not fit the European sizes - Where is Kohl's when you need it!
Listening: to Carrie hum amazing grace
Loving: our time at Family Fun Day
Planning: meals for next week
Reading: A Thousand Suns
Watching: CNN International - simply because everything else is in German
Wearing: a light jacket - the weather is a bit damp and chilly here today
Wishing: that friends would always continue to care about one another
Thankful: that our God loves us more than all of the stars in the sky
Writing: the April/May newsletter
Hoping: that our friends and family know how much we love them