Stay Tuned

For those of you who have been checking this often, thank you. And I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. My blog wasn't working for a while, but now that it is, I'll be able to update you more often now. So stay tuned.

And for those of you who are numbers people, I've put some details on the link that says 'The Numbers.'

Permanent Address

Here is the address of my appartment in Czech:

Drlíčov 155-156
Písek 397 01
Czech Republic

Skype

www.skype.com

Simply put, if you download Skype and buy a headset (or microphone), you can talk to me for free if I'm online at the same time. Try it out. My Skype name is: Podzimka13. And e-mail me and let me know if you sign up for it.

Details

There has been so much happening since I arrived in the Czech Republic a month ago. I will have many stories for you when I get home. I will also be able to fill you in on the details of how God has directed my path and shown me exactly where He wants me and what He wants me to be doing. I will give you a brief summary of what I will be doing when I move here in the end of September. There are three different towns that I will be working in, and here is what I will be doing in each of them.

PÍSEK
This is the town that I will be living in. We already found an appartment that we can move in to in the end of September. I will be living with two girls from the church, Lucka and Bětka.

I will be working with Lucka Řehořova (my roommate) at Elim Church. The church’s goal is to have everyone who is working there work in teams of two. The reason for this goal is found in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” We will be working in Communications together, doing video production, graphic design, and web design.

In Písek, I will also be leading an English bible study with my friend Jana. (We will be starting with ‘The Jesus I Never Knew’ by Phillip Yancey.) Jana is fluent in English and will be able to help guide the conversations. She will especially be a lot of help when we get into a deep conversation that would lose a lot through translation. I know the bible study will be in English, but there will be certain discussions that will flow easier in their first language. Because we will be leading this together, we have decided that there is no other way to lead it than to have it rooted in prayer. Every week we will get together to pray for the girls and for the study. We are going to read ‘The Power of Praying Together’ by Stormie Omartian, as we put it into action by praying for the bible study together. God has blessed me with giving me an accountability partner already . . . even before moving here.

ŠUMPERK
I will also be traveling to Šumperk to work with the television series as often as I am needed there. This will be the first Christian television show in the Czech Republic, and we hope that this opportunity will grow into more than one television show. If we want to reach this generation, what louder megaphone than the media?

MALENOVICE
And finally, once a month I will be traveling to Malenovice to have an intensive week of Bible training through conferences. It will also help for me to travel there because I will be a missionary through Josiah Venture, and their headquarters are in Malenovice. That way, I will be able to check in with them every so often. I will also do some video production for JV, so traveling there will help with that as well.

As you can see, there is already so much for me to do here. I am excited to be able to be a part of it. Please pray that I will be able to tackle the language as quickly as possible, so that will not be a barrier for very long. And pray that while I’m in the states, that the financial support will come in quickly, so I can get back here as soon as possible.

Thank you for your prayers!

Home Sweet Home

All I can say is, we serve a sovereign God!

When I got back to Písek yesterday, the first thing Lucka said to me was that we might have found an appartment. And that we were going to look at it in an hour. She had also found out that we had to make a decision that day.

Before I go any further, let me tell you just how uncommon that is. Appartments in Czech are not that easy to come across. It's not at all like it is in America where you have a lot to choose from. It's not very often that you find a place, and even more uncommon to find what you're looking for. Not only that but if you do happen to find something that could work, you need to make a quick decision . . . like that day. Which is the situation we were in.

So, Lucka, Bětka and I met up at the appartment to look at it. There is no other way to describe it . . . it's perfect! So we made our decision and we'll be moving there in the end of September.

I'm so thankful to have found the perfect place to live and to have two amazing roommates. I get along with both of them so well, and our personalities seem to blend very well together. We all love people, but each need our time to ourselves as well. So, we'll be able to have people over, but have time to breathe in between.

This is just one more confirmation that this is God's will that I come here.

Písek, CZ

When I found out that I was going to camp in Písek, I had no idea how much a little town could impact me. I've never felt more at home somewhere when it wasn't really my home. But that's how Písek is . . . it feels like home. And it's a good thing it does, because it won't be long before Písek becomes my home.

This is an option I have been praying about for just over a month, and God has answered that prayer very clearly. Last week, God laid it on my heart that He wanted me to move to the Czech Republic. Only days after that decision, it became more and more clear to me that He wants me in Písek. The details keep working themselves out so perfectly, and the transition is already becoming incredibly smooth.

I will still work on the television show in Šumperk, but I will only travel there when I'm needed. It will be like I have two homes in the Czech Republic, one in Písek and the other in Šumperk. Most of the time, I will be working with Elim Church in Písek. The church is trying to get the staff to be able to work in teams of two, because they feel that it is biblical.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says,"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

They have teamed everyone in the church up, but haven't been able to find someone to work with Lucka (or Lucie) Řehořova in Communications. Lucka already works for the church in Communications, but does not know very much about video production or graphic design. To me, this seems like the perfect team. She is very creative in many ways, and I feel we will be able to use the gifts God has given each of us to work together as the perfect team. It’s amazing what God lines up when you just let Him.

Lucka and I are already working together on two different video projects, and I am excited about both of them. We had a brainstorming meeting one night when we were at camp. It was around 10 or 11 at night, and neither of us were awake enough to think creatively, but it needed to be done. Afterwards, we knew it was God who worked through us, because the creativity that came out during that meeting was nothing we could have taken credit for. God has set up this perfect team and I’m excited to be able to be a part of it!

"Podzimka"

I've never had a nick-name that has stuck . . . until now. I have now found that I answer to two names, Autumn & Podzimka. Every time I told someone my name they said, "Oh, podzim." And I found that it's the Czech word for autumn. So my translator for my English class said that it sounds like a guy's name, so she started calling me "Podzimka." And it stuck. Soon after that, they taught me how to say, "My name is Autumn."

"Jmenuju se Podzimka."

Camp

I'm back from camp, and it was awesome! You know, I grew up going to different youth camps, and I've never been to anything like this. I can't believe how close everyone felt with each other. It's like there was an overwhelming sense of unity throughout the camp.

The purpose of camp is for the youth to learn English. However, they are not opposed to hearing about God in the mean time. We had English classes in the mornings, free time and sports in the afternoon, and a message in the evening. The Czechs are so open about talking about religion, that you can flat out ask them what they think about God or Christianity, and they'll openly talk to you about it. Because of this, and the messages Larry (Stratton) gave, my roommate, as well as a handful of others, accepted Christ towards the end of the week.

Camp was a great experience and I wish everyone could have the opportunity to experience it. Thank you for your prayers.

"With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:18b

Change of Plans

Plans have changed a bit in the last . . . hour or two. I was planning on going to a camp in Karlovy Vary tomorrow morning, but I received a phone call that quickly changed those plans. Now, I will meet up with Christ Community's youth camp, in Pisek. The main reason I'm going there, is because the church they work with (Elim Church) planned on taking out a loan to finish their church building. A few hours ago, they found out that they will not be able to get that loan. So they called me to see if I could make a video for them. I don't know any more details about it; I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I get to Pisek. Then, I received another phone call asking if I could be a teacher at camp, since I will be there anyways. It starts tomorrow and they had someone cancel last minute. So I'll be going to Pisek tomorrow morning, teaching English in the mornings, and doing video production in the afternoons. I'll be there until the following Monday, when I'll take a train back to Šumperk. I'll let you know how it went when I get back.

Answered Prayers . . . Already

As I mentioned quite recently, I was a bit concerned about the language barrier. While it was a lot of fun doing the tapings for the pilot, I found it was also very hard. I had no idea what they were saying, and couldn't figure out any way that I could help. I found myself just sitting and observing more often than I wanted to. I wanted to do what I could to help, but couldn't do anything without knowing the language. So I've been praying (and asking others to pray) that I could get beyond the language barrier so that I can be useful while I'm here.

And how quickly He heard and answered those prayers!

I spent most of today editing, something I haven't felt very strong in for a long time. After I finished the piece, Luboš and Iva came in to watch it. I was very encouraged when Iva said, "If our editors could edit like this, we would be able to take vacations more often." Praise God for those answered prayers . . . already!

Production

In the last few days, I have been to just about every part of the Czech Republic. Well, I haven't been west of Prague yet, but I will soon. I was as far east as I could go yesterday, and I'll be as far west as I can go on Saturday. Anyway, the reason I've been all over Czech, is because we've been taping for 'Exit 316.' Now that I know more about the show, I can let you know what it's all about.

First of all, the title. 'Exit 316' is because of . . . you guessed it . . . John 3:16. ""For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." On the road of life, there is only one exit that leads to heaven, and that's through Jesus Christ.

In 'Exit 316' we have two characters, male and female, played by Alish and Johanka. They are angels who are coming to earth to send a newscast to heaven. They interview people on the streets and ask them questions about what teens are facing today. It will be a seventeen-part series, and they will cover a different issue in every episode. The show will air in the fall of 2006.

Over the past few days, we have been driving to different parts of the Czech Republic taping for both the intro and the pilot. This next week, we will be taking off because the director's daughter is getting married. I will be helping with an English camp during that time. When I get back, we will start on post-production.

Please pray that we can get past the language barrier during post-production. The director, Luboš and his wife Iva, don't know English very well at all. Their eighteen-year-old daughter, Klara, has been translating a lot for me. Even with a translator, production was very difficult for me because of the language barrier. Pray that it isn't a problem when we get into post-production.

My Travel Stories

After over twenty-six hours of traveling, I finally made it here. I left Hot-U (a kid's camp at Christ Community) at 1:00 on Friday, and my plane left at 5:30 that night. I slept about three or four hours on the plane, and I arrived in London at about 7:00am (UK time, which would make it 1:00am your time). I left London at 8:55am, and arrived in Prague at 11:45am (now 4:45PM your time). My next flight wasn't until 7:05 that evening. As tired as I was, I couldn't sleep in the airport because I had my video camera with me and I couldn't chance it getting stolen. So I stayed awake and did a lot of reading. I arrived in Ostrava at 8:00PM and we drove until about 10:30PM (3:30PM for you), when I arrived in Šumperk, where I will be staying for most of my trip. So, to sum it all up for you, I left at 1:00 on Friday afternoon, and arrived at my final destination at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon. And as crazy as this may sound, I wasn't really that bored. I brought plenty to read and I had more than enough to pray about. The only time I was slightly bored was about my sixth hour at the airport and I couldn't wait until my next flight. Anyway, that's all I have to say considering that's all I've done so far. Next time I update, it'll be about something a little more interesting. Ahoy! (Which means both hello and goodbye in Czech.)

You Said

I've been listening to a song lately that I truly feel is the cry of my heart. I really want to reach the world through Christian television, and especially the age group of 15-25 year olds. So, this is the cry of my heart . . .

You said, "Ask and you will receive whatever you need."
You said, "Pray and I'll hear from heaven and I'll heal your land."

You said, "The glory will fill the earth . . . like water . . . the seas."
You said, "Lift up your eyes. The harvest is here. The kingdom is near."

You said, "Ask and I'll give the nations to you."
Oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart.
Distant shores and the islands will see
Your light as it rises on us.

Oh Lord, we ask for the nations.

Exit 316

Just days after my internship ended, I found out about an opportunity for me to produce in Christian television. Isn't God's timing perfect? The one part I didn't expect, was that it's in the Czech Republic. (I don't think I can swing living with Mom & Dad with this one.) But what an amazing opportunity! Okay, okay, I'll fill you in on the details. Czech television approached Josiah Venture (a missions organization I'm becoming familiar with) and asked them to come up with some Christian television programming. A certain percentage of their broadcasting needs to be "religious broadcasting," and right now they have a camera in the back of a mass. So, JV decided to take on the challenge. They have written the script, found a Czech producer, and are finishing up with casting for the show. And now they want me to be a part of producing it. The production for the pilot of 'Exit 316' will be the week of July 25th, followed by post-production. I will be leaving July 22nd, and returning on August 22nd. While I am there, I will also be praying about going back to help produce the rest of the series. If so, I would go back to the Czech Republic for 9-12 months. I need to lift this decision up in prayer, and I ask you to join me in praying about this commitment. "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20.

We're On In 5, 4, 3, 2 . . .

About six months ago I started an internship at Total Living Network (TLN), a Christian television station in Aurora. When I started there, I knew I wanted to produce in television, I just didn't know what. While I was there, I was given the opportunity to not only fetch coffee, but to try my hand at producing. And that's when I realized just how much I loved it. There were a couple other things that I realized while I was there as well. One, was that I want to produce in Christian television. And the other, is that I want to reach the high school and college-age generation through that avenue. I knew that this was what I wanted, but I needed to know for sure that this was what God wanted for me as well. So I started praying that if this was His will, that He would make it clear to me. It wasn't very long before I started to see just how big this dream was. I mean, to try and reach the world through Christian television. How could I even get in as a producer? There was no way that I could do that. How could I reach that many people? And that's when it hit me . . . I can't, but God can. I felt like God said to me, "I put this dream in your heart, and I'll make it happen." I guess a better way to say that is how it is said in Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." I really feel like He gave me these desires, and I look forward to following where He leads me.