Author Archives: psvoland

During month of October, we had many guests! We were glad for the opportunity to see and connect with many people we care about. We enjoyed sharing life with friends and family, if only for a short while. We especially …

Last week, for the first time since we moved in, we locked ourselves out of our apartment. Perhaps this is a miracle in and of itself because we are not allowed to make copies of our key! Stephanie and I …

As it turns out, play-dates in Germany are very different from play-dates in the U.S.! When we had been living here long enough for other parents from the schools to get to know us, they started asking to schedule play-dates. …

I’ve experienced some new things since I started my intensive German language classes at Goethe Institute in Hamburg. I’ve experienced an entirely different subset of German culture every morning on the train. When we lived in Chicago, we rode the …

Today marks ONE YEAR since we moved to Germany! We still remember the feeling of seeing our entire lives packed into  5 checked bags and 4 carry-ons. As we think about the events of this past year and look toward …

The other day we went to a friends’ house for a play date and the host graciously served cake on one of her fine china settings. We all enjoyed our cake in the kitchen even though the room was quite …

Families in the United States with school-aged children ended the school year in June. Many are already halfway into summer break! The kids here in Hamburg aren’t finished until the end of this week! Schools in Germany go year-round and …

This past week has been a lesson in patience and a reminder of the cost of living/serving far from home. We consider it a gift to be serving here in Germany, but it doesn’t mean we are exempt from the …

In the short 10 months we have lived in Germany, we have formed some really sweet relationships. One particular relationship stands out to us: the friendship with our neighbors Rolf and Babel. If you receive our newsletters, we have been …

The other Sunday our friend and colleague showed us a picture of the 20 Euro bill and made an illustration about money. This made us stop and think. The 20 Euro bill have a depiction of the church. The picture …