a conversation with Blake

Me: Hey Blake...?
Blake: Yeah?
Me: I love you.
Blake: I love you too.
Me: I love you more.
Blake: Uh-uh, I love you more than the universe!
Me: I love you more than infinity!
Blake: Well, God loves me more!
Me: Hmm...
*pause*
Blake: Haha. I win!
Me: Yeah.

Taekwondo and God's faithfulness

This morning, I had the opportunity to watch some dear friends of the family test for their next belts in Taekwondo. Allison, Bethany, AND their dad, Gary all tested and moved on to their next belt. Way to go you guys!

It’s crazy to think that this would happen in a situation like this, but God revealed something to me about His faithfulness while I was watching different people test for their belts. See, in Taekwondo, in order to move up to the next belt, you have to break a board with either your hand or foot (maybe head too, I just didn’t see that one). There are other things you need to do in the testing, but the final part is breaking the board.

As I watched people break the wood, it looked easy for some and more difficult for others. During the testing of one of the levels, all the students started breaking their boards. One by one they started receiving their belts and moving off the mats, until there were only a few left. One lady was having a particularly hard time breaking her board. She gets ready…kicks…and nothing. At this point, people are starting to cheer her on. She prepares herself again…kicks…and again, nothing. I’m sure the pressure is building by this time, but so is the encouragement. People all around her are getting louder and encouraging more and more. She kicks! And the board cracks in two! Cheers erupt from all around!! I didn’t even know this lady, but I was excited for her!

That was when it hit me. Sometimes it seems like this is what God does with us. The anticipation building up made it even more exciting when she was finally able to break her board. Those who broke their boards on the first try hardly received any applause, but when it was harder for someone, people seemed happier for them when they were able to break their boards. I think there are times when God does this with us. Often times we pray and wonder why God doesn’t answer us right away. But when we pray continually about something for a long period of time, we’re that much more thankful for it when He answers those prayers. I think that when God withholds something from us for a while, it builds our faith so that when He answers our prayers, we know it’s from Him!

God IS faithful! He will provide all we need according to His glorious riches!

Answered Prayers...Yay God!!

My dear friend Ellie has been going through the process of applying for her Missionary visa in order to get to Brazil. Last April, she submitted her paperwork for the first time and has prayed for good news ever since. She was told she didn't have all the paperwork, then she needed copies of something else...then they said she needed her certificate of ordination...it's been quite the process. Many people have been praying for her and her visa, and we've been amazed at God's work in her life in the process.

After many trips back and forth to the consulate, in some ways it felt as if it was never going to happen. I mean, deep down I believed it would...but I started to wonder how long it was going to take, or when we'd ever hear good news. But...

Today, we received the news that Ellie's visa is approved!! Yaay! What a blessing!

I want to shout from the rooftops that GOD IS GOOD!! As long and often as I've pleaded with Him for this to happen, I want to praise Him that HE is the one who made this happen!

PRAISE THE LORD!!!

a random fact (have I used this title before?)

For those of you who don't know, my aunt is the pilot of the Energizer Bunny hot air balloon. It's funny, because she's been a hot air balloon pilot since before I was born, so this isn't new information for me. What I find funny, is the reactions I get when I tell people. See, this is normal for my family. And while it's always fun to crew for her and get that time with her...it's still normal. But apparently it isn't normal for everyone. I'm reminded of this every time I mention it. For some reason, I always think I'm going to get the same reaction as if I just told them my aunt is a realitor...but the reactions always catch me off guard.

Anyway, all this to say...because she's the pilot of the Energizer balloon, she also gets the opportunity to be in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (in New York) every year. So it's becoming a family tradition to watch the parade for Aunt Glo. This year, I was telling the boys that some people actually watch the parade just for the parade...they didn't believe me.

What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions?

advent conspiracy

I was reading my friend Nate's blog and decided to use his idea and post the same video he posted. So thanks Nate...I agree, THIS is a much better way to spend our money this Christmas.

how the digital world has changed the way kids look at things

Remember when your mom would take pictures of you? She'd take a picture and you'd see it in a few weeks after all the pictures were taken on the roll and finally brought in to get developed. If you were picture 1 or 2 of 24...you might even have to wait MONTHS in order to see them. And forget it if your mom found a deal on 36 exposure film. I remember getting pictures back such a long time after they were taken that I hardly remembered the event they were taken at. Okay, maybe you guys were faster on us at this, but you MUST remember the waiting. Oh, and then the times when you couldn't wait to get a certain picture back, just to find that you blinked and don't really want to frame that picture anymore.

It's amazing how much the digital world has changed things. We can take hundreds, even thousands of pictures, and it doesn't change anything. And we can see them right away! (This would have blown my mind 15 years ago!) Take my nephew for example:

Hayden is two years old. I took a picture of him and his cousin (Blake), and right after the flash went off, Hayden said, "(let) me see!" I turned the camera around to show him and he said, "AWW!"

I love how a two-year-old understands the concept of digital cameras. He knows that as soon as a picture is taken, he can see it. Imagine him trying to wrap his mind around sitting still for a portrait!

even now...

I had the opportunity to attend two of the eleven vision nights, Minneapolis and Chicago. I was excited to see so many people and meet new people in Minneapolis, then I was blown away by the huge family reunion that happened in Chicago!

I want to send out a big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the JV Vision nights! For those of you who put things together, came to set up or tear down, people who were praying, and those of you who were able to come to share the vision...thank you! Katka and Lauree...you're awesome! I don't know what we would have done without you! On Thursday night, I stayed until midnight talking to people, and I still didn't get enough time to talk with everyone. You guys amazed me by your support and excitement. I'm so thankful for all of you!

a quick prayer request

As some of you might remember, I posted recently about the JV Vision Nights. I'm in Minneapolis now for the Vision Night that will be on Monday here, and I'll head back to Chicago in time for the one in Oak Brook on Thursday.

Please pray for us during these vision nights.

Also, it's not too late to sign up! If you're interested in coming, you can RSVP here: http://www.2x3campaign.com/rsvp. It would be great to have you there!

~Autumn~

i love it!

the fam

My cousin Laura got married this last weekend and it was a beautiful wedding! It was also really nice to see so many relatives. All of my moms siblings were there, as well as all of their spouses, and nine out of the sixteen cousins made it. It seemed like we were only missing a couple cousins because it was all but two of the girl cousins. It was also nice because my whole (immediate) family was there, too. I think the last time we got a family picture, Dawn had a mullet (it's been THAT long)! Gretchen came up for the wedding and is visiting for the week, so I'm sure I'll be posting more pictures of the kids sometime soon.

being an aunt is the best!

Exit 316 - "The Mission"

The Exit team has been busy preparing for the launch of a new season of broadcast. Last weekend they trained 430 small group leaders in four locations in how to use the small group materials to start "Exit Clubs" - evangelistic small groups that discuss the exit episodes. Several students have trusted Christ through the last series of Exit and are now leading groups themselves!

"Exit 316 - The Mission" is broadcast every Sunday morning at 8:30 and Thursday afternoon at 15:00. The entire season centers around the life of a 17-year old girl in Prague who is studying at a dance school. After a near death experience, she is sent on a series of "missions" by an angel named Krystof, who is challenged at every step by a dark angel named Desmon. Testimonies, interviews, and video clips fill in the big picture for the topic of the week.

This is a unique opportunity to share the gospel at a national level in an extremely atheistic country. Pray that God uses this broadcast for His glory and draws many to Him.

good times with good friends

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to my friend Dan's wedding in Virginia. The four of us (Ellie, Dan, Ryan & I) met at MTI in February where we built an incredible bond between the four of us! A few weeks later, we were able to meet the infamous "Mary" who we had already heard so much about (and even talked with on the phone). Not long after MTI, Dan was filling us in on his trip to get the ring from Mary’s parents, then his surprise trip to propose to Mary…we were so filled in that when Mary called that day...we knew why she was calling! Who would have thought that we would have all been able to be there for the wedding? Ellie took the bus down from Minneapolis and it took us 13 hours to get there, and it took Ryan 14 hours to get there from Oklahoma. And it was SO worth it to be there for our good friends, Dan & Mary!

JV Capital Campaign

In just a short time, ALL of JV will be in the states for a HUGE event...the Capital Campaign. Between October 26th and November 13th, JV will be visiting 11 different locations, having a "vision night" in each one. These nights are designed for people who are connected to someone in JV, through prayer, or support, or they met them at the grocery store.... We're making a big push for big projects like Exit 316, and we're doing what we can to help our nationals get up to 100%. The Campaign is just around the corner! Please be praying for everyone involved, as we're building up to something big. And let's also pray that God will do something big through this.

Here's a list of locations and dates. Let me know if you would like to go to one of these, and I'll make sure you get an invitation and all of the details you need!

10/26 - Seattle - TBD
10/28 - Portland - Marriott Waterfront Downtown Hotel
10/30 - Phoenix - Westin Keirland Resort
11/1 - San Jose - Marriott Downtown Hotel
11/3 - Pasadena - Westin Hotel
11/6 - Atlanta - Grand Hyatt Downtown Hotel
11/7 - Hamilton*, ONTARIO - Crowne Plaza Hotel
11/8 - Peoria - The Waterhouse
11/10 - Minneapolis - Marriott Downtown Hotel
11/11 - Denver - Hyatt Regency Hotel
11/13 - Chicago - TBD

experiments in "artsy" photography

aubrey would be so proud

Come Thirsty retreat

I just have to say, I have the best small group EVER! It's truly a blessing to be able to come back from Czech and jump right back into my small group. They're pretty amazing! This last weekend, we were able to head up to Michigan for a retreat. We stayed at Maranatha and had a FABULOUS time! I seriously think we packed a week's worth of things into one weekend. We went disc golfing, played volleyball at the beach, "midnight" mini golf, "midnight" ultimate frizbee, ("midnight" only meaning that it was dark out), played Apples to Apples, Catch Phrase...the list goes on! It was such a great weekend with such great people! I'm so thankful for the blessing that God gave me in this amazing group of people!

Radost (Joy)

One of my favorite passages has always been the beginning of James (well, I love the book of James, but especially James 1). About ten years ago, I lost a couple friends who were very dear to me. I went on my first summer-long mission trip and a couple weeks after I got back we received a phone call that changed my life as I knew it. These two dear friends of our family were in a fatal plane crash. I thought my world was going to crumble before my eyes. Soon after this, my mom started going through and memorizing the book of James with me. "Consider it pure joy..." 'Yeah right!' I remember thinking. But we pressed on, "...when you face trials of many kinds. Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. And perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." After some time, those verses started to really sink in. Within weeks of the accident, a friend of mine lost her sister to a car accident. I still wouldn't have "considered it joy", but I suddenly saw a reason why God was putting me through this trial. The trials that I was going through gave me the empathy and understanding to know how to help my friend through her trials. Looking back, I can see God's hand in this more than anything. Of course, I miss Craig and Jessie a lot! But throughout the years, God has been developing something in me that I would never trade for anything. Maybe it's perseverance, maybe even maturity. But I'm thankful for the times throughout the years where God has chosen to put me through these trials, so that I can learn to be more and more like Him.

this summer was awesome...

we pretty much had the best intern team ever.

two dear friends

One of the many blessings of working with people is that I get to build some amazing friendships. This summer, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know some incredible people. Two of these extraordinary people are Katka and Zuzka, from Vysoké Mýto. God has really blessed me by putting these two girls into my life! We met in June at a Matt Redman/Hillsong concert and have done two camps together since then. We’ve all said to each other that we feel like we’ve known each other for years. It’s amazing the foundation that God has given us in such a short amount of time. When I move to Vysoké Mýto, I’ll be working with these two girls a lot. What a blessing! I am so incredibly thankful that God put these two girls in my life!

Vysoké Mýto/Geneva camp (part 2)

For me, one of the most exciting things about this camp was the partnership with both of the leadership teams. It was a partnership between my church in the states and my future church in Czech. It is so amazing to be a part of both of these teams. I think one of the hardest things was that I couldn't decide which meetings to go to, since I'm a part of both teams.

Before we started camp, we had a couple days in Prague, and another day in Vysoké Mýto with both of the leadership teams (Vysoké Mýto and First Baptist). During that time, I was able to start building the foundation of some great relationships with the team. There are two girls who I especially connected with-Emmy & Caitlyn. After spending quite a bit of time praying about it, and talking with Ken (the college youth pastor at First Baptist), the final conclusion is that I'm going to start discipling these girls between now and when I move back to Czech. (And who knows, maybe we'll still get the chance to meet through Skype after that.) I'm really excited about this! I love these girls already and I can't wait to see what God does through these relationships!

Vysoké Mýto/Geneva camp

Today is the last day of my second camp this summer. I had a great time connecting with the students and playing lots of games with them. Last night, we split our discussion group into two groups...the guys and the girls. I'm not sure how the guys' group went, but the girls had a wonderful discussion. There was a different level of comfort when we had a smaller group of girls, and it allowed all of us to be more real with each other. I'm so thankful for these girls and their willingness to open up like they did!

starbucks in prague

2008 brought a wonderful thing to prague...Starbucks! And not long after that, a second and third one opened! Just yesterday, I finally had the chance to go to Starbucks in Prague for the first time. Soon after that, I was taking the metro to my next destination (Starbucks still in hand) when I saw another one! I was pretty excited! It intrigued me enough that I had to find out just how many there are in Prague now. It's official, there are five! AND in three weeks, there will be six!

on staring

I have learned many great things from my parents. And if God wants me to have children, most of those things will be passed on to them. But lately I’ve realized that my children might have to learn things in a different way than I did. (This is, if I’m still living in Czech and if I end up having kids here.) For example: when I was little, I was taught that it’s rude to stare. However, if my kids grow up in Czech, they’ll have to learn that it’s rude to stare in America. It’s actually not rude to stare in Czech. I was on the train recently when one of my friends called me. When I answered and started talking to her (in English!) a little girl turned around and started staring at me. During part of the conversation, her mom even joined her in staring, and by the end, her little friend was staring as well. By the end of our conversation, we had quite the audience! I was reminded of something one of my other missionary friends said once, “Sometimes I feel like the circus is in town when I go somewhere.” It’s very true. I’m not really used to being the tourist attraction. But hey, it’s part of the fun of living in another culture.

Vysoké Mýto camp

The end of our first camp for the summer has already come. Here's a couple pictures of my English class. We had a great time building relationships, learning English, having great discussions, and playing MANY games together.

Thursday night, we had the chance to share the Gospel with them. Then we gave them the opportunity to stick around if they wanted to talk to anyone. Almost everyone stayed to talk! It was so neat to see so many people interested in hearing more about who God is. I love to see people open to figuring out what they believe and asking questions. It's very encouraging to me!

I SPEAK PEE

Entry #2

Yesterday, this girl wanted to tell a couple Czechs that her husband is a triplet...and since they didn't completely understand, I tried to interpret for her. So I said, "her husband is a triplet."…or at least, that's what I thought I said. What I really said, was...she has triplet husbands. Oops!

a couple amazing girls!

I just have to say, after being with these girls for almost a month now...they're AMAZING! God really blessed me with an AWESOME team, and a couple GREAT girls who are becoming very dear to me.

summer schedule

Our first camp of the summer starts today!

Here's our schedule for the rest of the summer:

Term 1: Vysoké Mýto
June 28th - July 5th

Term 2: Vysoké Mýto (with First Baptist of Geneva)
July 12th - July 19th

(The team will be in Vikyřovice during this camp, but I'll be in Vysoke Myto for a second camp with them.)

Term 3: Šumperk
July 26th - August 2nd

Intern debrief: Prague
August 7th -10th

I'd like to introduce you to my team...

top to bottom, left to right-
me, Aubrey, Josh (or "Hawaii")
Erica, Chris, Paul

keep praying

Just a reminder, please keep praying that God will provide the financial support for me to get back to Czech for good. I need to raise another $900 a month. It seems overwhelming to me, but I know I serve a God who is fully capable of providing His resources in order to get me back here. Please pray that He will lay it on the hearts of His people to help support me so I can get back and serve Him where He called me to serve.

Matt Redman concert-in Czech

Last night I went to a worship concert in Czech. It was so amazing to see that many Czech Christians worshiping God together in one room! One thing that I found interesting, was how many people I knew there. It seriously felt like a family reunion! But it also really shows just how small the Christian community is in Czech...yet another reason to be on our knees for the Czechs.

always a paradox

When I arrived in Písek on Friday night, the first thing that came to mind was, 'home sweet home.' Although, it was followed by the sad realization that it won't be home. There's a part of me that will always think of Písek as home, but pretty soon I'll be moving to a new "home", a home I haven't even visited yet.

It's amazing how many paradoxes there are as a missionary. Goodbye's are hard, leaving is hard...but leaving is exciting, too, and hello's are always so amazing! I'm sad that I'll be leaving Písek, but I'm excited to be moving to Výsoke Mýto, too.

My time in Písek was great! It was short, but I was able to see everyone I wanted to see in such a short period of time. I kind of felt like I was able to say an official goodbye to my friends there, my church there, and the town. I know I'll be visiting again and I'll see my friends there again, but I also felt like it was healthy to have some closure. The same day that I left Písek, I was also able to meet my future ministry team in Výsoke Mýto. I've heard many good things about them, and it was so great to meat all of them! I can't wait to be able to get more time with them!

All my bags are packed...

In just a few hours I'll be on my way back to Czech for the summer! I already switched out the currency in my wallet, have my passport packed, and I'm ready to go!

This summer will be my 7th, 8th, and 9th English camps (and for some reason I still get nervous about teaching English). I'm really excited to get back to Czech and to build some new relationships there. This will also be my first summer to join an intern team with JV. All of the other camps I've worked with have been "wild card camps", where a Czech church teams with an American church. It will be nice to see what the rest of the country is doing, and to experience an intern team. I'm praying that God will prepare me to be stretched in the ways He wants to stretch me and that I'll grow closer to Him through it.

more time with the kids

After spending a week in Nashville, my sister decided to drive up to Chicago with me. It was so great to be able to get an extra week with her and the kids. We were so blessed to be able to get time with the whole family. It's sad that it doesn't happen more often, but we appreciate it that much more when it does happen. We took the kids to a museum a couple days ago and it was so nice to get so much time with my mom, my sisters and their kids. I just have to say...family is such a blessing!