My cousin encouraged me – told me – through Facebook that I should write again with an update on our progress in settling in here. Far be it from me to ignore her …
It’s been a little more than two weeks since we arrived in the Hickengrund – the name of the four-village cooperative of Holzhausen, Niederdresselndorf, Oberdresselndorf, and Lützeln. We are still living in the Lautenschlagers’ home in Niederdresselndorf (a.k.a. Ndd.), where the boys will go to school and where we ourselves hope to live. Here’s a map, and I hope it looks right for you:
Last week, we had the pleasure of meeting with the principal of the school. She evaluated Jonathan for his academic abilities and his German, since he is at the age where children are divided between two school tracks. To make sure that he has the best chance of success in school, he is going to be placed in the 4th grade. He’ll be with younger children and cover content he already knows, but he will be in an environment better suited to his learning German well. C will begin in the 3rd grade. Yesterday, Katherine and the boys enjoyed a “play date” with two families who have children in their classes. A wonderful time was had by all, in two languages.
A week ago, we also toured a house in Ndd. that is being renovated in preparation for rental. The four of us like the house very much, but we don’t know yet how much the rent will be. It has enough room for us, and we can arrange it to accommodate our guests as well. The kitchen area is small, and the main bathroom is on the ground floor, but those things are offset by its location – in a quiet neighborhood away from the main road, next to the stream, and down the stone street from a bakery.
Once we’ve been here for a month, Wycliffe can release our setup funds to us and we will be able to shop in earnest for a car and furniture. We’ll also have the money we need for the initial rent payment required here.
So far as work goes, we successfully registered with the township of Burbach and the district of Siegen – and I now have my provisional residence and work permit. I’ve been coming to the office each morning for the last two weeks, and today I had the chance to help the first person with a problem. In the process, I got to take apart a laptop model I haven’t seen before. The fellow presently tests Bible translation software specifically designed for low-cost, low-power computers that can be easily obtained for use in translation projects. Unfortunately, this particular specimen – his own netbook – has a hardware problem that cannot be repaired. He will have to replace the system board or request a new computer. That’s the way these things go sometimes.
We’ve been in touch with some of our family through Skype, and we’d love to hear from all of our friends from time to time – we even have Skype on our new phones!
When you pray for us over the next week or two, please remember these things:
- The beginning of the boys’ school experience in Niederdresselndorf; their first day of school is September 7th
- Our desire to rent the house by the Wetterbach
- The timely transfer of funds so that we can settle in properly
- Our need to make friends in the community and learn German well
Thank you!