We have officially begun the second half of our time here at EuNC.  It seems the time has flown by! After a short visit with family over the holidays (see previous post), we boarded a plane once again for the EuNC campus.  Thankfully, we built in a few days to settle and recover from jet lag before starting back into classes.  We were greeted with many familiar faces and VERY familiar weather.  It seems as though the snow just follows us from one continent to another! 

We hit the ground running.  Jason taught Introduction to Theology as a two-week course in January.  Following that session Jason led students taking credit for the annual regional Leadership Conference hosted by the college.  Regan assisted in the worship team.  Participants from all over Eurasia attended the conference which focused on spiritual formation and discipleship.  What an amazingly enriching experience!  The conference provided a chance for us to reconnect with some familiar faces. We were able to host Jonathan Phillips whom we got to know while on staff at Overland Park Nazarene and is now serving in Romania.  Our friend Randy Beckum, chaplain for MNU, led devotionals throughout the week and we were blessed to share a meal with him and his wife Lorie.  It was also a chance to meet new people from all over Europe coming together for many different purposes.  Some were pastors or district leaders.  Some were very involved lay people.  We met one couple from Poland that was new to the Nazarene denomination.  The church's work in Poland is expanding and this couple is being trained to lead there.  How exciting! 

Immediately following Leadership Conference was the annual all faculty meeting.  EuNC is structured with many professors living and teaching all over Eurasia in learning centers.  For example, our friend Tanya Canterella is the pastor of Moscow First Church, but also teaches courses at the Russian learning centers.  Her husband, Davide, is the coordinator of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) field education program as well as a regular lecturer.  Therefore, both are considered part of the faculty and attended our all faculty meeting.  There were representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria, and Romania.  This was a chance to make some decisions as a campus and reconnect with our sister school, MNU.  There were three representatives from the MNU campus in Olathe, including President Ed Robinson.  Excellent strides were made to connect these two colleges with common visions.

At the end of the three-day faculty meeting was a MUCH needed all campus “Snow Day.”  We packed in the vans and drove down into the Swiss Alps to Engelberg.  This little mountain village provided us with the starting point for a day of sledding and winter fun!  Carter especially enjoyed the classic sleds and riding with his Papa down the mountains.  We enjoyed the gondola ride up to a restaurant overlooking the mountain while sipping some Swiss hot chocolate.  This was no Swiss Miss drink mix!  

We are now settled into a "normal" pace of life.  Jason has been co-teaching Vocation and Personal Ministry and leading a directed study in Worship.  He is also preparing to teach Old Testament again, this time in Barcelona.  Both of us are preparing to co-teach Faith Development in the Local Congregation in March.  Jason is leading the chapel program into the Lenten season and will also be preaching at the Gottmadingen Church this coming Sunday (February 14) and the Büsingen Church on Easter Sunday.  Regan will be playing her flute at the German district women’s retreat. (In German it’s called the Frauenverwöhnenwochenende, which literally means “women’s spoiling weekend”.)

Carter is continuing his quest of learning every country and capital of the world.  His personality continues to develop and make us laugh.  Student at coffee break:  “Carter, do you like your peanuts?”  Carter:  “Totally.”

We are so blessed to have this opportunity and are enjoying the investment in students’ lives.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers!  Now if we could just get this snow to go away…