Intensive English Course 14th - 30th July

For the past 2 weeks, Allerheiligen has been an English speaking valley...

We had a group of 22 people aged between 18 and 23 here in Allerheiligen who were attending an Intensive English course. Anna, Mark, Dagmar & Trish were directly involved in conducting the English lessons in the mornings while other activities were organised for the participants throughout the day.











All the English speakers in the community had 2 participants each for an hour of conversation everyday after lunch. We were given a list of various topics to talk about everyday.


Annika & Günter were with me while Derek had Tim & Dominik everyday.



They are a group of teenagers who are preparing themselves to go to Uganda for 9 months this November. They are participating in a programme organised by Caritas and will reach out to the Ugandans through various social work.







When the group arrived on Sunday, they hardly knew each other since they come from all over Germany. We were impressed by the serenity of the group. At their age, we would normally expect a lot of noise and less interest in learning but we were pleasantly suprised by their teachability and seriousness in learning the language and in integrating with one another.

After getting bored with talking about directions to get to their houses in our conversation times, I started asking them about their "personal directions"; their desires and dreams, highlights and struggles etc. I was so blessed by their openness and their trust as they poured out their hearts so willingly and enthusiastically. It was "rewarding" to see their eyes sparkle when the right question is being asked and when they start to discover or connect with something that they have never seen about themselves before.



Barbecue on Sunday: The girls getting some wisdom from Fr Karel... He was here for 2 weeks.

On the last 2 days, they were given the task to give a presentation on a particular topic for 10 minutes each. It was amazing to see their performance after hearing them struggle with the language when they first arrive and now seeing them so confident with the language.

Simon

Caroline

Everyone received a certificate of attendance on the last day.

Carolyn

Tim

We ended the course with a Talent Show on the last evening. They were indeed hilarious and talented!!







When I asked them on the last day, what was their highlight of their time here, all of them mentioned that the life of the community here has inspired them and has helped and encouraged them in speaking English confidently and that they felt accepted and welcomed into our homes (literally) in the last 2 weeks.

Yet another ordinary day: Good bye Attard Family

With the relocation of the Allerheiligen community which is to happen by Summer 2009, we have witnessed the 3rd farewell party and sending out, this week.

As the Attard family prepares to leave for Malta, we had a chance to celebrate who they are to us and bring along a symbol of ourselves as a remembrance of the Allerheiligen community whom they shared life with for the past 3 years

Grace presenting her symbol, who is also leaving for Rome in September to join the ICPE community there. We had her farewell party on Thursday.

Mike with an elaborate explanation of his symbol which can mean anything Stefan & Pia want it to mean...

Our symbol, a dried rose from our wedding bouquet, as a remembrance of them being witnesses at our wedding and for journeying with us as a couple throughout these years.

With Sacha & Elisa, who have impressed us with their lives, as children who grew up in the mission.

For ol' time's sake... the veterans of the mission - Mike, Patricia, Silvana, Stefan & Pia

Coaching

It has been a bit more than a year since I started thinking about getting trained in becoming a certified Life Coach. It is quite a new "profession" although its practice is not all that new. It is in some ways very similar to what we know as discipleship. A coach would listen, encourage, give feedback, sometimes challenge one's "client" to move towards the desired goal.

I have enrolled myself with the ICA (International Coaching Academy) since the beginning of July. All classes are done through the phone. My lecturers are only a phone call away, at a scheduled time. Thank God, it's relatively cheap to call the US from Germany. There are a lot of supportive materials on the web and students are encouraged to read through them before attending the "teleclass".

I have nearly finished the foundational course and hope to move towards the advance coaching course next month. It has been very exciting for me and I am so glad that I have this opportunity to do this.



This idea came as we started thinking seriously about what we would want to do when we are at home in Malaysia. We discovered that we have a strong desire to continue helping people discover the purpose and call of their lives. I can see that through this tool, I will be able to continue doing what I have been doing in the mission. Moreover, through coaching as a profession, the scope of people that I may be able to reach out to will broaden.

Life Coaching is still not very known in Malaysia compared to Executive or Business Coaching. Life coaching is for anyone who wish to move forward in life. It could be the desire to find a better job, start a different career, have more friends, have better relationships in families, have a better working environment, better communication with friends or work mate.

A life coach can also help someone to work through problems of feeling too timid, feeling over weight, being diorganised, overly stressed, overcoming addictions and the likes.

I am praying that God will open the door for us and give us the right connection to start. In the meantime, I am encouraged to do as much coaching as possible to practice my skills. So, if you are interested or know someone who would like to try out having a life coach, please let me know... Also, I'll be glad to help you out if you would like to know more about Life Coaching.

Going home...

There is a time and a season for everything under heaven... Ecclesiastes 3:1



The time has come when we are seriously thinking about our next steps. Since the announcement of the relocation of the Allerheiligen community in April, we have started to discern where God is calling us as a couple within the ICPE mission.

Our initial plan was to plunge into the German language and see the possibility of moving to a city where we would be able to reach out to more people in our everyday life. Very soon we realised our limitations and some realities that are unchangeable.

After meeting many wise people (spiritual directors, priests and counselors) especially during our recent trip to Malta, we have decided to take a break from the mission to further discern our vocation as a couple.

At this point, we will be taking a 1 year break, starting December this year which we are planning to spend in Malaysia.

We ask you to join us in praying that we will have more clarity during this time away from the mission.