I'ma going to Germany!

And this is a copy of my support letter!

Salutaions!
There are many reason to write a letter. Sometimes you might have news (the future). Sometimes it is to catch up on past events (the past). And sometimes it is just to let people know how you’ve been (the present). Ever the over-achiever, I am writing for all of the above.
The Past
I was born on a warm summer morning in 1981. And then life happened and I found myself much older and on my way to Switzerland. As many of you know I spent some time in the land of chocolate and army knives this past summer working at an English camp. It was a different experience than any I had ever had before. I discovered that I love Europe, at least what little I had seen of it. There is a feeling there that is just different than anything her in Canada. I actually don’t have the words to properly describe it.
As for the camp itself, it was better than I had imagined it would be (and I had high expectations going in). The staff was made up of people from six different countries (Canada, Holland, England, France, Switzerland, and Germany_, yet after less than a week together preparing for camp it was like we had known each other for years. I have never seen such a diverse group gel so quickly before. It was like we were jell-o. I like jell-o.
When the campers arrived, I was expecting chaos, and I wasn’t disappointed. Yet somehow it was still organised. I now completely understand what organised chaos really is. I don’t know how we managed to pull it off. The camp house was not nearly large enough for what we needed. The kitchen was tiny and we only had one fridge with a fridge freezer for all of our food needs. Between my roommate and myself, my fridge at home is usually filled to capacity, and it is bigger than the one we had in Switzerland. Yet we somehow managed to keep everyone fed. We even had jell-o one night. Sure the kids didn’t like it (I guess jell-o was too exotic for them), but I was more than happy enough to finish their portion for them.
It is only by the grace of God that we got through. Everything about the camp screamed potential disaster. It was the first English camp being held in Switzerland by Janz Team. The staff was mostly rookies. The facility was inadequate. Yet there were no major problems. The kids got to practice their English. And more importantly we were able to show them the love of Christ through our actions and words. There was one young man in my small group who confessed to me that didn’t believe in God. Every morning the camp director would have a devotional time with the campers and send them off for some quiet time on their own, usually with a Bible passage that they were supposed to go through. Every day I saw this young man reading through the passage, walking around and seeming to at least consider the words he was reading. At the end of the week he still did not believe in God, but he did say that for the first time he had seen Christians showing love. I truly believe that in the future he will probably look back at the camp as a turning point in his life. I could fill a whole ream of paper with my experiences and thoughts of those two short weeks, but suffice it to say it was a learning experience. I was sad to be coming home at the end.
The Present
I returned from Europe and immediately wanted to go back. In the meantime I’ve been hanging out in Calgary, keeping busy with my work. Right now I am working as a sign installer, mostly at Home Depot, though we’ve done some work with Zellers as well. I travel around Alberta and British Columbia quite a bit, and work mostly night, but I don’t mind. It keeps me fed.
I have felt a bit listless since I returned. It took me a week to re-adjust to my time zone. I have been struggling as of late with what I am meant to be doing in my life. It is nice to know that the next couple of years have a definite plan.
The Future
And that plan is Germany. I have been accepted to work as an RA at the dorms at Black Forest Academy in Germany. I leave around August 6th. How do you say ‘yee-ha’ in German?
The school is a boarding school for missionary kids, a place where they can receive a good education while prepping them for a return to North American culture as many of them have spent most of their lives abroad and are soon going to be returning to Canada or the United States for college. For more specific information about the school I recommend visiting their website at http://www.bfacademy.com, or check out Janz Team Ministries website at http://www.janzteam.org.
My job is, in many ways, to be a parent to the kids in the dorms. I will help them with homework, make sure they are getting off to school on time, doing laundry, helping cook, etc. I will be there for two years, and I am so excited!
But I am not there yet. I will need some help. If I go without a tonne of prayer support then I may as well not go at all. This is not going to be a walk in the park. I will be challenged, stretched just beyond the point of breaking, chewed up, spit out, and trod upon. And I say 0 Bring. It. On! With support from back home and around the world, I may be bent, but I will never break. So please remember me in your prayers.
Of course, without financial support as well I will not get to go at all. In an effort to make the cost of the school as affordable as possible for the students the staff is required to raise their own support. The cost for me is going to be $1800/month. That may seem high, but I truly believe that it is a very reachable amount. There are two ways to contribute. One way is to give a one time gift. The second way is to give a regular monthly amount. If I were to get 36 number of people to contribute only $50 a month then I am set. And as always, tax receipts are sent out for all donations.
I encourage you who are web savvy (I love that word. Savvy) to check out my BLOG at http://pantssince1986.blogspot.com. I will be giving regular updates on my preparations and fundraising, and once I am in Germany I will continue to update with how things are going. And since it is my regular BLOG, it will also have my normal random posts. Check it out, leave a comment. If you have any other questions, email me at aliens8elvis@hotmail.com.
Again I ask for you prayers and support. Thank you for taking the time to read my rambling missive.

Darrell Ulriksen

P.S. If you would like to donate any money, email me and I will send you some pledge forms (or you can just get my address and send me the money directly - either way works.)