So, I live in a Jewish neighborhood...

This is a shofar not to be confused with an alarm clock!

For those of you who do not know Carrie and I live in a Jewish neighborhood.  Normally a person doesn't even notice this, but this morning I did.  Shortly after I woke up I heard a noise.  I initially thought it was extremely loud bicycle breaks squeaking but it simply didn't sound right.  I then looked out of the window and noticed a teenage-ish girl who was learning how to blow the shofar.  She looked horrified that she could not do it and I am sure it didn't help that she saw me shut the windows.  I felt badly but I simply couldn't handle the sound when my head was still cloudy from sleep.  In case you were wondering, it took her about an hour and she finally made the beautiful sound that a shofar is supposed to make!  Congratulations young lady it sounded wonderful.

The faces of 3rd grade

The reason we're here...

During the first week of school I had an interesting conversation with one of my second graders. I told the kids to get out their Bibles for our Bible lesson. This was quite exciting for all of my kiddos as it was the first time we had used our Bibles. (The first time they use any of their new school supplies is always very exciting for kids this age!)

Everyone reached in their desks and got out their Bibles. Then, I had many exclamations of what to do next. However, one of my students new to VCS (from Mongolia) raised his hand and said, "I don't have a Bible." I was a bit confused as I thought that he had bought one from the school office. So, I looked in his desk, and low and behold, there was his Bible. I told him, "Yes, you do have a Bible." He looked in his desk and said, "Where?" It was at that moment that I realized that he didn't know what a Bible was.

So, this is why we're here...to not only show our kids what a Bible is, but to share of God's love that is written inside.

A precious moment...

Here is a cute conversation between me and one of my students:

Grace: "Hey Miss Brunker! I have a surprise for you!"

Me: "Um, am I going to like the surprise?"

Grace: "Yeah"

Me: "Is it a good surprise?"

Grace: she paused and then answered (which made me wonder) "YES!"

Me: "Okay, what is the surprise?"

Grace then proceeds to give me the biggest hug I received all week! This was a wonderful surprise and I told her that she can give me that surprise anytime she wants! She said okay and happily skipped away! Isn't that cute? I thought so! I am blessed to teach these wonderful kids from all over the world. They brighten my day on an hourly basis!!

We're not quite sure

Neither Katie, Carrie, or I could figure out what this is. We found it at Merkur (a large grocery store here in Vienna). We have come to the conclusion that it is in the pumpkin/squash/gourd family. It is very interesting and huge! We think it was about three feet long and it kind of resembles a huge zucchini on the outside and a pumpkin on the inside.

If the shoe fits....

If the shoe fits wear it! Well today one of my students and I discovered that we wear the same size shoe. Nope her feet are not incredibly large. Mine are just incredibly small. Shoe size: US 6, Europe 36, Korea 3 as I found out today! Can you tell which shoe really belongs to me?

A few faces of VCS

A fly on the wall in the third grade classroom...

So, have you ever wondered what amazing things happen in the third grade classroom at VCS? Well, today is your lucky day! We usually do fun activities like measuring the length of a room in shoe units and then make a class graph. Then we do some not so fun things like try to convince Miss Brunker that we are not good readers! It doesn't work! I know that they are all good readers! ;) There are also times when we have interesting conversations that lead to hilarious comments from 8, 9, and 10 year olds! Here was the comment from the other day when we were talking about how I am adopted. This was stated with sheer confusion on the face of the voice. "Miss Brunker, (insert pause here) so, how did your fake parents find you?" I've never thought of my adoptive parents as "fake" parents but to an 8 year old apparently it made sense! Haha! I tried not to burst out laughing as I was asked this!

Game night with the girls

Carrie and I had a game night for most of the female teachers at VCS. It was a lot of fun playing games, eating snacks, and simply enjoying each other's company. Many friends brought some of their favorite games but I think the hit was Reesa's game called Snorta. It was hilarious. Each player has an animal in a barn. Each player has these cards with animals on it and each person turns over a card one at a time. When you see a match you have to say the sound of the animal the person with the match has. It sound complicated and from what I saw it was a bit confusing to my brain. So, while the girls were playing I took a video of it to share with all of you!! Enjoy!

An amazing visit to a quilt shop

This is an amazing story of God's faithfulness even when you don't expect it in the least bit. This happened to Carrie and me this summer while we were visiting beautiful Estes Park, Colorado with some dear friends. On our last day in Estes Park we were going to visit a quilt/fabric shop where our friend's mother has a friend who started work there that day. I just thought we were going to a cute fabric/quilt store but the Lord had other plans.

When I walked in I was overwhelmed at the amount of merchandise that was on display. The merchandise ranged from beautiful Amish quilts to things one would find in Christian bookstore. As I looked around simply taking it all in I was introduced to the employee as a missionary. This lady kindly smiled and wanted to know a lot about what I did in Vienna. I continued to browse and heard that there were sale items downstairs. So, I ventured downstairs and was greeted by our friend, who was starting her first day of work, and the owner of the business. They had just come back from starting their day with prayer. I was quite impressed. The owner was told that Carrie and I were the missionaries that she had just been told about and she (the owner) grabbed us and took us to the office area. She asked a few questions about our sending organization and wanted to know about our support levels. She then went to her desk and pulled out the "missionary account" checkbook. I was astonished. She wrote us a check right there on the spot!! It was amazing. They then prayed for us for about 20 minutes all the while I was in tears and shaky at God's amazing faithfulness. They then told us that we can get anything in she shop that we would like. The thank yous couldn't come from my mouth fast enough.

I was overwhelmed at God's love. Just that morning I was stressing again about my support level and by this lady and her business I was reaffirmed that yes, I am following the Lord's path. I still tear up as I write this. It is amazing who the Lord uses everyday to remind us that He is faithful and will not give up on us.

If you are ever in Estes Park, Colorado visit the Cottage Bliss store. It is amazing and their profits go to missionaries. What a wonderful way to run a business. Here is the address and website:

Cottage Bliss

Unit 36-A

870 Moraine Ave,

Estes Park, CO 80517-8054

(970) 577-1557

http://cottageblissestes.com/

An afternoon with friends

This afternoon Carrie, RheaAnne, Leslie, and I went on a paddle boat. It was great! Here are some pictures to prove we did it!

After paddle boating we went to a sporting complex to watch a group of people play sand volleyball. It was fun to watch. Eventually RheaAnne and I found a cute round swing so we swung for a while and then Carrie and I decided to leave. On the way out I found these poles which I thought looked like they would be good balance beams so I tried them out. It was fun but I fell off quite a bit.

Carrie and I bought a Toyota!

Carrie and I are excited! We have shopped around and priced checked and have finally settled on a Toyota. We bought a Toyota sewing machine! We are so excited about this as we didn't think we could get through the school year without sewing a quilt or two!! ;) We also found a few skirt patterns and bag patterns in the states and are excited to fill our time with creating masterpieces! Here are a few pictures of our beauty!

Seeing God's beauty

I love sunsets, lakes, rivers, and the mountains. They all remind me of God's imagination and beauty. I really love to see the sun's rays in a sunset. I captured a photo of this while I was in Colorado this summer. Enjoy.

We made scrubs

My sister works at an animal kennel. She loves her job but needed more animal print scrubs. So Carrie and I decided to make her some scrubs and matching reversible bag to complete the outfit! Let me tell you she loved the scrubs but was quite uncertain about having the matching bag!! ;) Here is proof of our accomplishments!

Please pray for Carrie's dad...

Hello all,

Carrie and I are requesting prayer for her dad, Francis. He was rushed to the hospital yesterday around 3:00 in septic shock. We spent the afternoon and evening in various waiting rooms awaiting word of what was going on and when we can see him. They had to do emergency surgery on his arm where they believe the initial infection had come from. The surgery went well but he is, as they have all told us, " a very sick man and we will see what the next 48 hours will bring." This is stressful and oh so hard. They are having trouble keeping his blood pressure at a safe level and keeping him breathing. I asked many questions and one thing I found out is this is in no way related to his heart attacks he has had within the last few months. So, please keep Francis in your prayers. He will be in the hospital for "several weeks" (as they say). He is currently in the ICU.

Thank you,

Carrie and Amanda

Prayers for support...

Hello all,

Carrie and I are currently in our beloved Colorado and are trying to spread the word about all that has happened this last year! Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we raise additional monthly support. I (Amanda) am at 76% of my monthly needed amount and Carrie is at 86%. I am stressed out because it is the lowest amount I have been at all year. I know that the Lord will provide. He always does! If you know of any creative ideas for additional monthly donations please feel free to let us know. I appreciate all of your continued words of encouragement and prayers!

Love,

Amanda and Carrie

God's Gifts for June 28, 2009

1. Another church service at my home church
2. Welcoming smiles from people
3. Needing to buy jeans two sizes smaller than last year at this time
4. Lunch at Kokoro
5. Edamame with peanut sauce
6. Fixing my car all by myself
7. Being able to help my parents
8. Dinner with mom, dad, and Chante
9. Chats/emails from friends

God's Gifts for June 27, 2009

• Safe travels back to Colorado from Kansas
• Walking from the Colorado state line to the Kansas state line and back
• Taking a lot of pictures with Merlin's camera - boy will she be surprised when she downloads her photos!
• Listening to my favorite songs while driving
• Sweet Tea
• Corn free pizza =)
• Aloe lotion for a lobster looking sunburn
• Raspberry lemonade

God's Gifts for June 26, 2009

1. Playing games with Cynthia - it was so much fun and I can safely say that I am not good at Nerts or Dutch Blitz but I can certainly provide a lot of laughter!
2. A good cheeseburger
3. Petting a very kind cat
4. Finishing all of the square by square puzzles
5. A nap in the car
6. The wind
7. Evening rain
8. Free museums full of very interesting historical artifacts
9. Time to read
10. 6 raccoons - even though they scared me a bit!
11. Air conditioning
12. Counting bales of hay really fast!!

God's Gifts for June 25, 2009

• Shoes for $1
• Safe travels to Kansas
• Watching an amazing lightning storm from the driver's seat
• Rain
• getting our camp physicals done for free and without any hassles
• Running with Chante - she thought she was going to die but the time spent with her was invaluable
• McDonald's iced coffee
• Working on the square by square game