Czech This Out

2010 intern team

2010-06-25T07:18:00.007+02:00

(Josh, Patrick, Connor, me, Lynn, Sarah)

(clockwise-me, Josh, Connor, Patrick, Lynn, Sarah)

Well, it's been a long while since I've even thought about writing a blog post. But I thought I would at least introduce you to this summer's intern team.

God has TRULY blessed me to let me be a part of such an amazing team. These are people who responded to God's call to come to Czech this summer and I've been amazed at their hearts and how they're letting Him use them.

Please pray for us this summer as we're doing three English camps together.

June 3-10 - Hradec Kralove camp
June 17-24 - Vikyrovice camp
June 31-August 7 - Havlickuv Brod camp

Thank you for praying for what God is doing in Czech this summer!

a letter from my niece

2009-11-19T11:03:00.003+01:00

Dear Auntie Autumn,

I miss you. I miss you and I want you to stay by me and sleep by my bed. I want you to stay here for ever and ever, and watch movies with me and go everywhere with me and so you can tell me everything about God because I only know a little and I want to know everything. And we will get you anything you want for your birthday. And I want you to follow me and hold me in the deep end before I fall down. Thank you for my present. (And that is all!) :)

Sierra

the new normal

2009-11-04T22:17:00.003+01:00

There are things in Czech that are different than I'm used to. Some of these things I've gotten used to and they've become more "normal." And yet there are others that I still have to smile at when I encounter them.

Here are a few examples:

-man capris
-funny translations
-kids using whatever is closest as a toilet
-parents leaving strollers outside stores...with the babies still in them!

I usually take a double-take when I see this last one. I guess I'm getting used to it though because I saw a stroller outside a store this morning and hardly noticed it was there. But what really got me was when I saw the baby. The lady working at the grocery store was ringing up groceries with her baby on her lap!

Oh, Czech Republic...how I love your little qwerks!

dorost

2009-10-16T09:00:00.002+02:00

Okay, so I haven't written about my life in a while, so I thought I would start posting pictures.

One of the things I've been involved with has been the middle school youth group at my church. It's a very new ministry and right now we have six kids who come regularly. We're also working with another middle school ministry in a town called Litomyšl. We join them every other week for youth group, where there are about 25 kids total (including our 6). On the off week, we meet at our church and have a game club. The past couple times we've had game club, the guys and girls have been splitting up...the guys go and play floor ball, and the girls have been playing card games (mostly Dutch Blitz lately).

Here's a picture of my dorost (middle school) girls. Klara, Ester, & Eliska (even though Eliska's really in high school). These girls are great! And awesome Blitz players! :)

welcome to my world

2009-10-05T22:43:00.002+02:00

After only living in Czech for a short period of time, my English grammar has already gone downhill. I'm sure by the time I go back to visit the states, this is how I'll be talking...

English Problems

Top ten things that make me laugh:

2009-09-25T23:56:00.000+02:00

10) silly warning labels (ex. Portable stroller, Caution: Remove infant before folding for storage.)

9) things kids say

8) the Confessions of a Tooth Fairy video on youtube.

7) Nate’s translation of Trevor’s pirate joke

6) ash

5) Britney Boatman

4) cultural stories/mistakes

3) creative humor

2) things that shouldn’t be but are (ex. my neighbor gardening in a speedo…)

1) hearing other people laugh

oh visa my visa...

2009-08-18T08:57:00.002+02:00

Why is it that getting a visa to live in a different country is so difficult? Soon after I moved here I applied for my short-term visa and had it within a week. I was so thankful I didn't have to deal with it and it was nice and easy. Then I started to apply for my long-term visa.

When I brought my paperwork in, they asked me why I waited so long to bring it in. I didn't think it was going to take so long for it to be ready, so I was surprised to hear them ask me that. I thought things were going well and called them about a month later to see if it was ready. They were surprised I would even ask that soon because mine was one of the "fresh cases". In the meantime, my short term visa was about to expire. I tried to figure out every possible option-only to settle on the fact that I just had to wait and hope that it'll be ready soon. There's no reason to stress over something when you can't change the outcome of it. So I waited. About a week later (while I was at English camp) I got a phone call from my roommate..."Um...there were three policemen who came to the door looking for you. They said they have a letter that they have to deliver to your hands and can't tell me what it's about." Ahh! So much for waiting and seeing what happens! So I got back from camp and intern debrief on August 14th (knowing my short-term visa would expire on the 15th). I woke up the next morning and the bell to my front door rang. I thought it was a friend coming to visit...nope! It was the police. They asked for my passport and had me sign for the letter and they were on their way. I set the letter aside assuming I wouldn't understand it anyway. Finally, curiosity got the better of me and I opened it. It said I needed to meet at the office of the foreign police on Monday morning at 8:00am with my passport. I could tell it had something to do with my visa that I applied for in Bratislava, but I didn't know what that part of it said.

On Monday I went to the foreign police and they told me I had a few things missing from my visa paperwork (I'm pretty sure 2/3 of those things were already in there, but oh well). I gave them the other paperwork they needed and wrote down everything else. Then I asked them what I should do since my short-term visa expired. He said I still have a few days since I'm allowed to be in the country for 90 days without a visa. (Apparently, they add the days before you get your visa and you still have time left if it's less than the 90 days.) But he also said I need to leave the EU...even just to get a cup of coffee. So he told me to go to Croatia for coffee (and a stamp in my passport) and come back. So I'm going to go on a forced vacation. :) I needed one anyway and this just gives me an excuse to do it now. :)

So thankfully, I'm not going to be deported. And I don't have to leave the country for long. :)

my nephew's from the south...

2009-07-13T08:51:00.003+02:00

but my niece is from up north.

My sister lives in Nashville. She's from up north, and her husband is from Tennessee. My niece talks to my sister all the time, so she talks just like her. My nephew on the other hand, talks to his daddy a lot...and you can tell.

The other day Hayden (2) said, "Hey Ma...it's fixin ta rain!"

summer schedule

2009-06-29T11:08:00.000+02:00

Camp #1 – Pardubice
June 30th - July 3rd – US team training
July 4th - 11th – English camp
July 11th - 12th – follow-up

Camp #2 – Vysoke Myto
July 14th - 17th – US team training
July 18th - 25th – English camp
July 25th - 26th – follow-up

Camp #3 – Valasske Mezirici (Val Mez)
July 28th - 31st – US team training
August 1st – 8th – English camp
August 8th - 9th – follow-up

intern team 2009

2009-06-07T07:53:00.004+02:00

Every summer a team of interns come to Eastern Europe to help run English camps and serve in the local churches.

This year, my team is small but strong. (From left to right: Melissa, me, Matt, & Jerry)

We'll be doing three camps this summer.

Pardubice: July 4 - 11
Vysoké Mýto: July 18 - 25
Val Mez: August 1 - 8

Just last week (when the interns arrived) we ran JV's version of "The Amazing Race" together. It was 48 hours long. We started in Vienna, went to Bratislava and Budapest, and ended up in Malenovice (in Czech). I wouldn't say the race was my favorite thing in the world, but we learned a lot about our team AND didn't end up in last place! :)

open fields of wild...oil?

2009-05-12T10:02:00.003+02:00

The Czech Republic is a beautiful country. Often as I'm traveling through it, I have my nose in a book and miss the beauty around me. Other times, the beauty captivates me and I sit and enjoy looking at God's creation.

One of the things I'm often distracted by is these beautiful fields of yellow. I honestly don't think I've ever seen a shade of yellow that's so bright! These yellow fields are Rapeseed fields. It's grown for animal feed, vegetable oil, and biodiesel.

Lately, this has been the view from my bus/train windows. It's either that or the mountains. :) I love living in such a beautiful country!

company!!!

2009-04-30T14:52:00.002+02:00

This past week my friends Kim and Joe came to visit. :) They're missionaries in Kenya and decided to take a vacation to Vienna and Prague. It was great having them here! There's something special about connecting with other missionaries who understand you in a different way. I really appreciated being able to get such precious time with them!

3 roommates & 2 towns

2009-04-30T14:35:00.008+02:00

I've been told that one of the hardest questions for a missionary kid to answer is the question, "Where are you from?" I'm starting to be able to relate to them, because I have a hard time answering a similar question, "Where do you live?" My answer is usually, "Umm...well...I live in Strakonice AND Vysoké Mýto." I usually get a reaction of confusion in one way or another. I would imagine they typically wonder if they misunderstood my English or they if I said it wrong in Czech. The question that always follows is, "Why?"

So here's why:
I live in Strakonice with two amazing roommates, Leah and Emily. One thing that's really important to JV is that the missionaries are cared for. So for a while, I get to live with these two wonderful ladies in Strakonice.

The other place I live is Vysoké Mýto. I'm a part of the team helping with youth ministry. I get to help with the game club and youth group and small groups...things like that. I'm blessed to have another wonderful roommate in Vysoké Mýto as well, Zuzka. We definitely enjoy our time together: laughing, praying, relaxing (when we have time), speaking Czech, and doing ministry together. It's been fun getting to know her even better!

A couple weeks ago, two of my roommates were able to meet for the first time! It's crazy to think that that's even possible. :)

So there you have it...this is why I live in two towns. Just don't ask me where home is. :)

Easter Monday

2009-04-15T22:58:00.002+02:00

I was going to post about the Czech Easter traditions, but when I read my friend Lauree's blog about them...I thought I'd just send you to her blog instead. You'll see why...

http://laureeaustin.blogspot.com/2009/04/charming-czech-tradition-from-twilight.html

a conversation with Sierra

2009-04-13T00:17:00.002+02:00

I talked with my four-year-old niece today and this was the conversation we had:

Sierra: Why you live far far away?
Me: Because that’s where I live now.
S: But WHY so far far away?
A: I live here because I want to tell the people here about God.
S: But why they not know about God?
A: Because their moms and dads didn’t tell them about God.
S: But why they not tell them?
A: Because THEY don’t know about God.
(pause)
S: But how will you tell ALL them and their moms and dads about God?
A: I won’t be able to tell ALL of them, but I’ll tell the people who I meet.

This must have satisfied her, because she moved onto the next subject.

S: What’s your house look like?
A: Umm…(I’m really bad at describing things) The walls are white…and…you know what? We have a couch in our kitchen!
S: What?
A: We have a couch in our kitchen.
S: I cannot hear you. Talk louder!
A: (louder) I said, we have a couch in our kitchen!
S: Hang on…(talking to everyone in the room) Mom, Dad, Hayden, Nana, PipPop…you need to be quiet because I cannot hear my Auntie Autumn.
(talking to me again) Now what did you say?
A: I said, we have a couch in our kitchen.
S: Oh! We do not have a couch in our kitchen. We have…Mom, will you tell Auntie Autumn what we have in our kitchen? Okay, I love you! Bye!

crazy love

2009-03-29T18:43:00.003+02:00

I started reading a new book today. It’s called, “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. I’ve only read one chapter, but so far I would recommend it.

In the book, Chan encourages the reader to watch this video:

http://crazylovebook.com/
click ‘videos’
then click ‘the awe factor of God’

I would HIGHLY recommend watching this video!

I was completely in awe of God after watching this. It’s amazing how small and insignificant we are, yet so often we shift our mindsets to think that we’re the only important ones in this world.

Chan wrote, “Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect holiness, by definition assures us that our words can’t contain Him. Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?” *Crazy Love, p.31)

Wow! We serve such an amazing God! I’m truly in awe of Him!

hradec kralove

2009-03-27T19:51:00.003+01:00

Part of working in Vysoke Myto means working in Hradec Kralove. Every other Thursday, our team drives out to Hradec to work with the youth out there. Last week, there was a team of Americans working with both Hradec Kralove and Vysoke Myto. It was great to have them here, and really good to meet so many of the kids in the area. I really look forward to getting to know them even better!

mluvím trošku česky

2009-03-27T19:17:00.003+01:00

Czech is a very difficult language. Of course, I have nothing to compare it to, since I've never learned another language. I took a year of German in 8th grade, but my teacher didn't like me and I didn't think I learned enough to go on to German 2 in high school, and I never attempted another language after that...until I moved to Czech.

I often laugh at God's sense of humor. I'm probably one of the few people in the world who got away with not taking any language classes in high school (thanks to home-schooling a couple years and starting college through a prep-school program). And here I am now...attempting to live in a country where I don't speak the language. There are times when I'm trying to learn Czech where I'm laughing at myself, and other times where my friends are laughing with me. It can be pretty entertaining.

My roommate and I decided we're going to spend a certain amount of time every day just speaking Czech. Today, as we were doing this, she was asking when our friend Katka was coming over. I told her, "Katka will come near." Then I thought for a second..."No, Katka will come SOON." Blizko and brzy both start with B's, but they're totally different words! Oh, the joys of learning a language! :)

On the other hand, I met with a tutor for a couple hours yesterday, and she was very encouraging. Toward the beginning of our lesson, she asked me if I played any instruments. I guess if you're musical, it helps you hear the "music" of languages. She told me the reason she asked was because (according to her) I have a "natural ear for languages." I'm not sure if she's right or not, but it would be nice if she was!

I guess we'll find out in the process. But for now...I'm having fun with my mistakes. Maybe Katka will come near again. ;)

I'm here!

2009-03-07T19:20:00.002+01:00

Well, I made it safely to Czech!

While it's exciting to be here, I still feel like I'm in a haze...am I really here? I asked one of my Czech friends that last night and she pinched me to make sure. I felt it, so this must be real! :)

I'm a little bummed because I got sick on the plane ride over here, and haven't felt better since. I was able to make it to the youth group last night though, so I was at least able to see some people, so that was good.

Tomorrow, I'll head over to church in Pisek, then on Monday we'll head over to Malenovice for a LADY's (Leah's favorite word) retreat. I'm looking forward to seeing people there and having a time of rest before jumping into things.

I'm also excited to get to meet our other roommate Emily, who is already in Malenovice!

what to pack?

2009-03-07T19:15:00.002+01:00

My friend Rachel & her son Austin came over to help me back before I left. That morning Rachel asked Austin what he wanted to do that day. He said, "Autumn house today?"

So they came over to help...and I guess Austin decided for me what I needed to pack! :)

more on packing

2009-03-03T02:08:00.003+01:00

I've decided I'm done packing (or maybe it's just wishful thinking). As I'm sorting through and trying to get rid of things, I'm realizing...why do I need all this stuff?!? So I decided on the essentials, and this is all I'm bringing. Now, I have three empty suitcases and room to bring two more friends with me! (Suitcase #1 is already reserved by my dear friend Jenny.) :)

Anyone else coming along?

packing/sorting

2009-02-21T16:14:00.005+01:00

I've decided to take on a pretty big project. I could just start packing, but why do something easy, when it could be more complicated? I decided to sort through everything I own and get rid of the things I'll never use again. Right now, you can barely walk through the front room! I set up a few tables and brought everything up from the basement, so pretty much everything I own is on these tables. It's a pretty overwhelming task, but I'll be glad to be done with it!

In the end...I hope to bring everything I own in two (okay, maybe three) suitcases.

my lack of artistic abilities

2009-02-21T04:49:00.006+01:00

(Thanks Hawaii-I used your pictures again.)

I have many friends who are very artistic (such as my friend Mollie). I however am not. I even came across my 5th grade report card, and I received points for "effort". I think that's just a nice way of saying, "You tried." It's okay, though. I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not artistic, but because of it I'm able to appreciate other people who are artistic even more.

A few months ago, I decided to take on a little project. Now, my artistic friends will probably get a kick out of how clueless I am when it comes to art. One of my favorite games is Settlers of Catan. One thing that's always bothered me is that you have to put the box away perfectly in order for everything to fit in the box. So I thought it would help if I made little bags to sort the pieces a little better. I bought all the materials I needed...and they ended up sitting in my closet for months. I couldn't figure out the best way to make these bags. So the materials sat and sat. Now that I'm leaving soon, I realized, if I don't do these now-I'm never going to do them. So I got everything out...the materials, the sewing machine...and I went upstairs to ask my mom how to do them. As she was explaining it to me, she suddenly realized I had no idea what she was talking about. She stopped mid-sentence and said, "I can't believe you can't visualize this!" That's when she decided she'd take on the project herself. She had me help...but in the same way she'd have my four-year-old niece help. (I pushed the string through...and turned the bags inside out...) :) It's pretty embarrassing that I'm that clueless when it comes to something as simple as sewing! BUT we *cough* she finished the bags...and I'm pretty excited about them! THANKS MOM!

2009-02-11T21:55:00.000+01:00

a new kind of worship

2009-02-10T03:07:00.002+01:00

Kyle and I were in the car the other day when he wanted to listen to music. He said he didn't care what we listened to, so I put on a Czech worship CD (to see how he would react). He now has a new favorite worship song, and asks me to play it every time we're driving. I liked the song before...and now I appreciate it in a different way. Plus, I love the lyrics!

Here's the song:

Ke Slávě Tvé

Ježíš Kristus On je Král
Ježíš Kristus On je Král
On žije, On z mrtvých vstal

Před ním se jednou pokloní
Celé nebe a celá zem
Vždyt všechno, co On učinil
Stvořil ke chvále své
Ke chvále své jmenou

(Thank you Katka Vlnova for translating this...you probably don't even remember doing it.)

Jesus Christ He is King
Jesus Christ He is King
He’s alive, He rose from the dead

In front of Him, I will one day bow
The whole sky and the whole ground
And so everything He’s made
Was created for His glory
To praise His name

funny videos

2009-02-03T15:37:00.005+01:00

My family keeps telling me I find the funniest videos on YouTube. I keep telling them, my friends find them, and I pass them along. So I thought I would pass along some of my favorite YouTube videos.

Kyle and Blake showed me these two videos...they're a couple of their favorites.

Blood (Don't be confused by the title, it's not gory in any way.)

Charlie Bit My Finger

Lady goes back to work after many years...
(Thanks to Judy Brack)

The Translator (even though it should be called 'The Interpreter')
I hope no one gets offended by this. It just shows how important it is to have a good interpreter...in a funny way.

And last, but not least...

Confessions of a Tooth Fairy (Thank you Ryan Schultz)
By the way, this entire video has been quoted many many times at our house.

my status

2009-02-01T23:28:00.002+01:00

This time of waiting is finally coming to an end! (At least, I hope so!)

Praise God, I'm at 95% with my monthly support! This means, I'll probably be heading back to Czech in February!

I'm a little hesitant to post this, since I'm not at 100% and don't know for sure that I'll be leaving in February, but I also want to ask you to pray with me! Please pray that God will provide the last little bit of support so I can get back to Czech soon. Also pray that He will continue to draw me closer to Him in the process. It's so easy for me to feel like I'm at 95%, so I'm already there, instead of remembering that the last 5% won't come in without Him. He has continually provided and shown His faithfulness and I pray that I'll continue to seek Him with this last little bit. I also want to keep seeking Him in other areas, as well. I don't want the support to be the only thing drawing me to my knees.

This Psalm has been one of my favorites lately.

"Praise the LORD, all nations!
Extol Him, all peoples!
For great is His steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!"
-Psalm 117

Hopefully my next post will include my departure date!

food logs

2009-02-01T23:20:00.002+01:00

Kyle and Blake (11 & 9) have to log what they're eating for school. Blake was helping Kyle what he's eaten this week (of course, he's doing his daily reading log on Sunday), and here's part of the conversation that was going on:

Blake: What kind of Pepsi, diet or regular?

Kyle: Diet?!? I'm not on a diet!

Me: You know, some people drink diet pop because they like the taste.

Blake: HOW?!?

13 Ways to Bless Missionaries Without Paying for Postage

2009-01-06T08:52:00.003+01:00

I came across this blog post, and thought I'd share it with you:

13 Ways to Bless Missionaries Without Paying for Postage

Since I'm not overseas right now, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to encourage you to pray for and encourage the missionaries you know. A couple of my favorites from this list are: pray for the missionary and email it to them, and make them a video. It's amazing how much it means when you hear a familiar voice or see a familiar face...even if it's through a video. The other ideas are great as well, those are the two that stood out to me the most.

So if you know of any missionaries (besides me), I would encourage you to pray for them, and consider encouraging them in a different way. And if you don't know any missionaries, and want to be praying for one (or more)...let me know and I can get you connected. I'm often amazed when I hear of people who are praying for me who I've never even met. It's truly a blessing to have people on their knees praying for the ministry.

1 Thessalonians 5:11, "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."

a conversation with Blake

2008-12-14T06:50:00.005+01:00

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

2008-12-14T06:42:00.001+01:00

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!!

2008-12-05T19:35:00.003+01:00

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?)

2008-11-29T18:31:00.002+01:00

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

2008-11-25T04:14:00.003+01:00

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

2008-11-21T06:24:00.003+01:00

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...

2008-11-15T21:05:00.004+01:00

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

2008-11-08T08:54:00.004+01:00

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!

2008-10-14T23:48:00.000+02:00

the fam

2008-10-14T23:38:00.007+02:00

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!

2008-10-14T23:36:00.001+02:00

Exit 316 - "The Mission"

2008-09-24T06:24:00.003+02:00

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

2008-09-16T20:34:00.005+02:00

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

2008-09-11T16:21:00.002+02:00

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

2008-09-08T20:44:00.004+02:00

aubrey would be so proud

2008-09-08T20:33:00.002+02:00

Come Thirsty retreat

2008-09-08T20:30:00.000+02:00

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)

2008-08-27T23:56:00.004+02:00

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...

2008-08-20T18:48:00.000+02:00

we pretty much had the best intern team ever.

two dear friends

2008-07-21T18:49:00.002+02:00

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)

2008-07-19T09:33:00.004+02:00

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

2008-07-19T09:29:00.002+02:00

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

2008-07-11T21:20:00.004+02:00

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

2008-07-11T21:17:00.001+02:00

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

2008-07-05T01:12:00.005+02:00

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

2008-07-05T01:08:00.001+02:00

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!

2008-07-05T01:01:00.002+02:00

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

2008-06-28T07:11:00.001+02:00

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...

2008-06-19T10:26:00.001+02:00

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

keep praying

2008-06-18T18:52:00.003+02:00

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

2008-06-16T14:01:00.004+02:00

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

2008-06-16T00:47:00.007+02:00

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...

2008-06-12T08:53:00.004+02:00

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

2008-06-12T08:38:00.004+02:00

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!

A Week in TN

2008-06-05T03:37:00.003+02:00

I've spent this last week in Nashville with my sister and her kids, and I have to say...being an aunt is THE BEST! I really can't compare it to being a mom (since I'm not one), but I love this! I know I shouldn't encourage this, but it's always been my secret goal to become the favorite aunt. But shhh...don't tell anyone.

On a more serious note though, one of the hardest thing for me when I leave to go overseas is not seeing the kids. When I left to move to Czech, Sierra had just started walking...by the time I got back, she was running and talking. The next time I saw her, I cried because of how much she had grown. Another thing that was hard was that I was in the delivery room with Sierra and the one to say, "It's a girl!", and with Hayden...I was in Czech at an Exit small group. I had never been so homesick than when I knew I was going to miss being there. So when I say goodbye, it breaks my heart more than anything to have to say goodbye to the kids. That's probably why I treasure the time I get with them so much. I'm sure I would treasure it anyway, but it's that much more meaningful to me knowing I need to soak up all the time I can with them while I can.

Man, I love these kids!

So, I leave a week from tomorrow and here’s what’s on my to-do list for the next week:

2008-06-05T03:35:00.001+02:00

• watch my friend’s son (two half-days)
• snail mail update (including: writing, designing, printing, cutting, addressing, & mailing)
• write and send thank-you notes
• catch up on 25+ emails
• prep for three weeks of English camps
• prep for teaching on Czech culture at First Baptist (+ teaching the night before I leave)
• oh, and I almost forgot…PACK!

I'm surprised I'm not overwhelmed yet.

I SPEAK PEE

2008-06-01T23:29:00.002+02:00

Entry #1

It was Nicki’s second summer mission trip to the Czech Republic. This time, she decided she wanted to learn more Czech. She had already learned phrases like, “I don’t speak Czech”, and “I don’t understand” and things like that. So she asked me if I would teach her something new. Now, I’m not a big fan of telling people they’re saying something when they’re not, so I thought it would be funny if I taught her some slang…something that the Czechs would find humorous. So I taught her how to say, “I have to pee.” So Nicki practiced and practiced and got the phrase down without any Czechs hearing her say it. Finally, she was ready to use it. A bunch of us were sitting down and talking, and Nicki looked at me and said, “Okay, I’m gonna do it.” And then she stood up and said, “I speak pee!”

(Names have been changed to protect the innocent from embarrassment without their consent.)

an interesting idea

2008-06-01T23:26:00.001+02:00

The other day, I spent some time with a family who I’ve known for years. We were up until all hours of the night talking and laughing until we had tears in our eyes. One of the many outcomes of my visit with them was that my friend decided to encourage me to do something…

The challenge: Write a book containing humorous missionary stories – stories of cultural flubs and language blunders.
The title: I SPEAK PEE

neustále se modlete

2008-05-12T16:45:00.001+02:00

pray without ceasing

There's never a time when prayer is needed any less, but there are many times when prayer is needed more.

For three years now I've been asking people to come alongside of me to pray with me for the Czech Republic. After living there for a year, and spending another year and a half in preparation to go back...my departure date is just around the corner. I don't have my tickets yet, but the goal is to leave on June 19th!

There are a few things you can be praying about with me.
-I need to raise at least another $500 a month. Pray that God will provide and that I'll do my part in making the right connections.
-I'm praying for people to come alongside of me who want to help me build an even stronger network of prayer warriors and potential supporters.
-There are a lot of changes happening in Czech. Because of some of these changes, we're asking God's direction in His placement for me.
-That God will give me peace in knowing that this is all happening in His timing...not mine.

Thank you for being on your knees with me!
~Autumn~

living in paradox

2008-05-04T16:23:00.002+02:00

One of the things that we talked about at my training in Colorado is the paradox of leaving for the mission field. On one hand, it’s really exciting to get to go to the place where God called me, on the other . . . I’m going to miss everyone SO MUCH! Last weekend, I went up to Minneapolis to visit with and say goodbye to a couple of my good friends. While it was SO good to get time with them (and meet some of their friends), it was also SO hard to say goodbye. It also reminded me that I have more goodbyes to come that are going to be hard as well. I can’t even describe how it feels to be both ecstatic and heartbroken at the same time.

This time in the states has had its ups and downs. I think some of the downs have been my own fault for not having the right attitude going into things. For a long time, I tried living in the states while keeping my heart in Czech. Looking back, I’ve realized that a lot of the reason I did that was to protect my heart from getting hurt. If I didn’t get close to anyone during the time I was here, it wouldn’t be hard when I had to say goodbye. But instead of protecting my heart, I ended up hurting my heart in the long run by not getting close to anyone. Thankfully, God has allowed me to push through and I’ve been blessed with some AMAZING friendships with people who will be all over the world.

One of the great things about being in the states has been the time with my niece and nephews. I have to admit, it’s hard to leave everyone, but when I leave and come back to a kid I hardly recognize…it breaks my heart more than anything. This past year or so has been so great to be able to soak up as much time as I can with the kids I’m going to miss the most. (My 1 & ½ year old nephew is even saying Auntie Autumn all the time now.)

I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this paradox I’m living in. I have a feeling this is just the beginning of a life of paradox. One of my friends even said to me, “As missionaries we’ll always have a sense of homesickness, no matter where we live.” I’m not looking forward to always having this feeling, but at the same time…this isn’t really our permanent home, so how comfortable should we really get here?

what to write...

2008-04-20T05:21:00.004+02:00

So, I have this problem when I'm in the states...I never have a clue as to what to write on here. I mean, I have the tendency to embarrass myself when I'm in Czech. I mess the language up all the time, or walk into the men's bathroom...one time I even told a lady that I didn't understand her because SHE didn't speak Czech. Oops. She still talks to me though, so I must not have messed things up too badly. So anyway, when I'm in Czech, I feel like I have ALL KINDS of stories to tell, but when I'm in the states...how exciting is it when I say I'm support raising and meeting with different people? It seems kind of boring. So, I guess what I need to realize is that it's okay for my blog to look different when I'm in the states. I mean, my life's different when I'm in the states so why shouldn't my blog look different?

Colorado

2008-03-09T03:20:00.004+01:00

I'm currently in Colorado doing five weeks of training to get ready to go back to the mission field. It's amazing how often we have our own agendas, and God has something else in mind. My purpose in being here is to learn how to learn another language (linguistics and phonetics drills...things like that), and how to adapt to another culture. Before I came, my expectations were to learn what I was supposed to learn and get to Czech as soon as I could afterwards. This is happening, but God had even more plans than just that. I've been blessed to have built some really amazing friendships here. This picture is of Dan, Ellie, me, & Ryan (heading to Zimbabwe, Brazil, Czech, and Slovakia). A couple weeks ago we had an extra long weekend, so the four of us decided to take a road trip together. We had 72 hours, so we spent 24 of them driving to the Grand Canyon and back! It was an amazing trip! I feel so blessed that God put us all together for our training. It's amazing how God can bring friendships together even though we'll eventually end up all over the world.

the cutest kids in the world

2008-02-16T01:21:00.003+01:00

Sierra (3), Kyle (10), Blake (8), & Hayden (1)
How could I NOT add this picture?!? It's of my nieces and nephews, in case you don't know them. And I'm not biased or anything...but they're the CUTEST kids in the world!

summer update in the winer

2008-02-16T01:15:00.003+01:00

Okay, maybe blogging isn't my thing. I like doing it...I just forget about it. Then it's been MONTHS and I finally decide to catch up. As is the case now. So, even though it's February...I'll give you a quick update on the summer...then continue to other things.

This summer was amazing! I was back in Czech and able to help with two English camps. I planned on staying a month, but after connecting with a girl at one of the camps, she asked me to stay another month with her family. It was a lot of fun, plus it was a great experience to live with a Czech family for a while.

...going...and going...and going...

2007-07-08T02:35:00.000+02:00

Well, I'm off to Czech again! This time it's only for five weeks. (Not that that's a short amount of time, but I'm not moving back yet.) I leave tomorrow and I'll be there until August 9th...and I can't wait!!! I'm so excited to see everyone again and to help with a couple camps...and to build some relationships...can you tell I'm excited?

Well, here's my schedule:
July 8th - 13th - Malenovice - JV Training
July 14th - 21st - Sumava Mountains - youth camp #1
July 22nd - 27th - Pisek - camp follow-up
July 28th - August 4th - Sumava Mountains - youth camp #2
August 5th - 9th - Pisek - camp follow-up

If you think about it, please pray for me while I'm there!

african misunderstandings

2007-06-11T15:25:00.001+02:00

Now that I'm in the states, I can't ever think of anything fun to write on here. I can't really tell any cultural stories or how I messed the language up and embarrassed myself. For some reason, those stories don't come as often when you're in the country you grew up in. But I did remember a story someone told me about that I thought you might appreciate.

Marianne was a missionary in Africa. One Sunday, she went to church and was a little confused at one of the worship songs. They were singing joyfully a song that sounded (to her) like this: Wee-na wee-na, wee-na wee-na wee-na...Jesus is a wee-na! I can picture her just looking at her husband wondering what they were singing about. Then later in the song they started to sing: Loo-sa loo-sa, loo-sa loo-sa loo-sa...Satan is a loo-sa! Right then she realized what they were saying, "Oh, winner! Jesus is a winner!"

returning from space

2007-05-28T06:36:00.001+02:00

So, here's something on my mind lately. Reverse culture shock. Or better yet...Re-Entry. I'm reading this book that my mission's pastor recommended to me, and that's what it's called...Re-Entry. Once I had been in the states for a while, I realized that I couldn't call it reverse culture shock anymore. I wasn’t really “shocked” about things, but I knew I was going through something. But I couldn’t seem to explain it to anyone. If you’ve ever gone on the mission field (short-term or long), you might know what I’m talking about.

The book calls this Re-Entry. It relates it to an astronaut going into space, and then returning to the Earth. One astronaut, who was in space for months, came back and his body couldn’t get used to the gravity again, and he ended up being paralyzed. The author said that returning from missions is similar to an astronaut returning from space . . . every part of you just has to get used to things again. And no matter how long it’s been, once you’ve gone, you’ll never be the same again.

When I read this, it really helped me to be able to take a deep breath. One of my first thoughts was, “I’m normal!” It’s such a good feeling to be re-assured that you’re not going through something that you shouldn’t be going through. I was starting to think that there was something wrong with me. Especially when no one around me could relate to me. So yes, I may feel like an astronaut at times, but at least I’m normal, right?

throwing in the towel

2007-05-28T03:37:00.000+02:00

You know, I think I should just give up on trying to keep up on this. I guess I'll just have to randomly write on it, then whoever checks on it will be pleasantly surprised when they find something on here.

Austin David

2007-04-29T23:59:00.000+02:00

Today, one of my closest friends had a baby! Little Austin David was 6lbs. 12oz. and 21" long. And so incredibly adorable! I'm so excited for my Rachel! I just wanted to share the excitement...and share a picture.

You Know You're an MK When...

2007-04-20T06:28:00.000+02:00

Okay, I know I'm not an MK, but I can still relate to some of these...or at least appreciate them.

1 You can't answer the question, "Where are you from?"
2 011 is a familiar area code.
3 People send you used tea bags in the mail.
4 You speak two languages, but can't spell either.
5 You flew before you could walk.
6 The U.S. is a foreign country.
7 You embarrass yourself by asking what swear words mean.
8 You watch National Geographic specials and recognize someone.
9 You have a time zone map next to your telephone.
10 You consider a city 500 miles away to be "very close."
11 Your life story uses the phrase "Then we went to..." five times.
12 You think in grams, meters, and liters.
13 You read the international section before the comics.
14 You live at school, work in the tropics, and go home for vacation.
15 You don't know where home is.
16 You do your devotions in another language.
17 You sort your friends by continent.
18 "Where are you from?" has more than one reasonable answer.
19 The nationals say, "Oh, I knew an American once..." and then ask if you know him or her.
20 You aren't terribly surprised when you do.
21 You are grateful for the speed and efficiency of the U.S. Postal Service.
22 You realize that furlough is not a vacation.
23 You wince when people mispronounce foreign words.
24 You've spoken in dozens of churches, but aren't a pastor.
25 The majority of your friends never spoke English.
26 Someone brings up the name of a team, and you get the sport wrong.
27 You believe vehemently that football is played with a round, spotted ball.
28 You realize it really is a small world, after all.
29 You never take anything for granted.
30 You watch a movie set in a foreign country, and you know what the nationals are really saying into the camera.
31 You know how to pack.
32 You own personal appliances with 3 types of plugs, know the difference between 110 and 220 volts, 50 and 60 cycle current, and realize that a trasnsformer isn't always enough to make your appliances work.
33 You get confused because the dollar bills aren't colour coded.
34 You have a name in at least two different languages, and it's not the same one.
35 You miss the sub-titles when you go to see the latest movie.
36 You know what the name of your subcompact car means.
37 You determine your speed by the smaller orange numbers on the inside of your speedometer dial.
38 You cruise the Internet looking for fonts that can support foreign alphabets.
39 You think VISA is a document stamped in your passport, and not a plastic card you carry in your wallet.
40 You go to a church you have never been in before and find your picture on their bulletin board.
41 You look at the Rockies and think, "Nice hills."
42 You automatically take off your shoes as soon as you get home.
43 You know hundreds of missionaries all over the world, but forget your pastor's name.
44 You consider a three year old piece of clothing to be "Practically new."
45 You don't know whether to write the date as month/day/year, day/month/year, or some variation thereof.
46 You meet another MK, and discover that you share the same best friend.
47 The best word for something is the word you learned first, regardless of the language.
48 Half of your phone calls are unintelligible to those around you.
49 You wake up one day and realize you're not a foreigner anymore.
50 You wake up one day and realize you really still are a foreigner.

My Favorite Cousin...(just kidding Emily!)

2007-03-04T05:16:00.000+01:00

Okay, so I don't pick favorites...but I do have a couple cousins who I'm really close with. One is my cousin Emilly (no, she's not the one in the picture) and she just met up with me last week to go swing dancing (and I regret that I forgot my camera). The other is my cousin Brian, who I don't get to see nearly as often. But thankfully...I'm able to spend some time with him now.

Next Saturday, my good friend Jason and his wonderful fiance Diana are getting married. So, my parents and I headed down to Florida for their wedding. And conveniently, a lot of my relatives live in Florida. We arrived in Jacksonville yesterday and are headed to Orlando, then to Tampa, then back to Jacksonville again. No matter how much driving we have to do, it's still great to see everyone again...and I can't complain about the weather, either!

My "Sister's" Wedding

2007-03-04T05:06:00.000+01:00

For those of you who don't know, I have more than just two sisters. Okay, I have two real ones, but I also have two more adopted sisters. (Both of them lived with us for a number of years...at different times.)

On February 24th, my "sister" Carolyn was married. It was a small and beautiful ceremony. They were married in a mansion in Lake Geneva. One thing that I thought was neat was that Carolyn prayed it would snow on that day...and God gave her a snow storm! You have to just appreciate his sense of humor...and sometimes you have to be careful what you pray for. ;-)

Luncheon

2007-02-24T18:39:00.000+01:00

Hey you guys. I just wanted to let you know that my church is having a luncheon for me tomorrow. It's at noon at First Baptist Church of Geneva (west campus), if you can make it. If not, could you be praying for me? I want to share what God's doing in the Czech Republic and get people excited to pray for us. Please pray that that's what happens...but more importantly, pray that God will be glorified throughout.

Watch EXIT 316 online!

2007-02-16T05:11:00.000+01:00

Hey you guys. I just added a link that I thought I'd point out to you guys. Believe it or not, you can watch EXIT 316 online! If you just click on the link, you can watch full episodes online...every one of them. You might not understand them, but you can at least get a feel for what they look like. (And compared to everything else that's on Czech television...the quality's exceptional.) Let me know what you think! http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/vysilani/10109769637-exit-316-jina-dimenze/24566.html

Another EXIT Report

2007-02-12T04:21:00.000+01:00

There are about 300 small groups using the Exit material as an evangelistic tool. Recently we received an e-mail from a 17 year old guy who is gathering students in his dorm to watch the show and discuss it. One week he had 75 there – and only two or three of them are believers. Pray for strength and courage for these young people.

Dinner with the Kaspars

2007-02-11T00:47:00.000+01:00

This last week, I was able to hang out with my friend Brad when he was here in the states. He’s another missionary in Czech who has become a great friend of mine, and it was fun to hang out with him and get to know his family, too.

Reverse Culture Shock

2007-02-10T23:48:00.000+01:00

When you move to another country, there are certain things you expect to happen. You expect things to NOT be "normal" anymore. You expect everything to be different...and you do what you can to adjust to those differences. But when you come back to the country you're from, you expect everything to be "normal" again. But you soon find that the things that were once "normal"...well...aren't.

When I first moved to Czech, my mentor gave me some advice on learning the language. She told me, “Never tune the language out. Even if you don’t understand keep listening, don’t tune it out.” I didn’t realize how much I did that, until I got back to the states.

I went to the store with my friend when I first got to the states. She and I were walking and talking, and I finally had to stop her for a second and tell her that I didn’t hear a word she had just said. I got so used to not tuning things out, that I couldn’t tune anyone in the store out. Not to mention the fact that over there, whenever I hear English, I automatically assume people are talking to me. So when I was at the store, I heard every word of every conversation around me, just not the conversation I was having. I was on auditory overload. I heard everything, but couldn’t understand anything. While I’m in the states, I have to re-train myself to tune out background noise so I can understand what’s going on around me.

I never understood that living in the states could seem so different to me. I’m just figuring out what it’s like to live in the states again.

Exit 316 update-Dave Patty

2007-01-02T17:37:00.000+01:00

The weekly T.V. show produced by the KAM team for Czech Television just finished its first season with a final episode that aired right after Christmas and was focused on the Meaning of Life. These first 17 episodes have been viewed by between 120,000 and 170,000 people a week, and are generating lots of discussion and response. As near as we can tell, close to 300 evangelistic small groups are meeting around the shows, and these groups are touching close to 3000 people a week. Just about every week we hear of someone coming to Christ through this show!

Czech Television has asked us to continue on until the end of the school year, which means another 26 episodes between now and the end of June. Pray for the production team which is now working double time to create these additional episodes, and for the turbo team who is working to connect even more small groups into the evangelistic campaign. This is an unprecedented opportunity, but is also very spiritually demanding.

One of the things that has surprised us is the overwhelmingly positive response we have received from the churches. All together, 18 denominations are using the show as part of their evangelistic strategy! The week before Christmas, KAM received an award from the Ecumenical council of Churches for Exit 316. This group of representatives from all of the denominations in the Czech Republic named Exit 316 as the ecumenical event of the year. Praise God for these open doors!

Pray also for the Kompas team in Slovakia as they work on plans to broadcast Exit 316 next fall. Because of the similarity in language, the show can be used there in Slovakia with only minor modifications.

Yes, yes, the rumors are true.

2006-12-08T19:25:00.000+01:00

If you heard the rumors going around about me being back in the states...you heard correctly. I arrived just before Thanksgiving and was able to head down to Tennessee soon after arriving to celebrate with the family. It was so great to be able to see everyone again, to be able to meet my new little nephew, and see my adorable niece again.

I'm back in the states for a little while raising support for the next two years. I'm hoping to meet with as many people as possible, so if I know you, please contact me so we can get together.

Hope to see you soon!

Hayden Layne

2006-11-14T23:14:00.000+01:00

I'd like to introduce you guys to my new nephew, Hayden Layne Steele. He was born on October 25th, (just missing his aunt's 25th birthday.) He was 6lbs. 6oz. and 19 1/2 inches long.

And here's a picture of his big sister, Sierra Rain.

I can't wait to meet this little guy!

Vienna Vacation

2006-11-14T23:07:00.000+01:00

I recently decided that I was long overdue for a vacation, so my friend Jami and I decided to stop talking about going on a vacation, and just go. So we did.

Last Friday we hopped on a train and went to Vienna. We had a great time, and packed in more in a few days than I could have ever imagined. We even hit Starbucks a couple times!

I'm incredibly thankful for a great vacation, and an amazing friendship.

Exit Responses and Statistics

2006-10-25T00:59:00.000+02:00

1. Another Dimension - total viewers: 101,600
2. Love - total viewers: 125, 200
3. Friendship - total viewers: 111, 500

What this doesn't include is those who are viewing it on the website of Czech Television. Several thousand people are going on to watch it there as well. http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/vysilani/10109769637-exit-316-jina-dimenze/24566.htm

“Exit 316 is generating an unusual level of response”.
-Memo from the press secretary at Czech Television to the Executive Director in Prague.

“It's just great what the Exit does! It just gives me so many opportunities to talk to my schoolmates about God! When one of my schoolmates saw my Bible, so he read it for a while and then asked me if I could get him one! Some other guys read the Bible, too and even one who wears a Satan symbol. I've never had so many opportunities to talk about God at school!”
-Honza Vosalik-High School student, Pisek

“This show is addressing issues that all young people face – I’m going to use it for discussion in my social studies class every week.”
-Non-believing mom who is a teacher in a public school. Her daughter, Petra, gave a testimony in the first episode of Exit.

“I’ve been trying to get small groups going in our youth group for two years. Now Exit starts and all of the sudden we have three groups meeting every week!”
-Youth group leader in Tabor.

“I just received news that Exit is in 2nd place for the most watched show on the internet this week (the week it aired), and in 3rd place for the most watched show on the internet for the entire year!! They say that 75,000 viewed the premiere on TV last Wednesday, and 500 – 1000 people a day are watching it on the internet.”
-Lubos Hlavsa, director and film editor for Exit 316.

Vienna

2006-10-25T00:37:00.000+02:00

In September, I had the opportunity to go on a Mission Trip to Vienna with my church. And I mean, my church in the states. First Baptist was going on a Mission Trip to Vienna, Austria, and they welcomed me to join them for part of their trip. I was able to take a train down there and it only took me five hours to get all the way there.

The most exciting thing for me was being able to get to know the team. Sometimes I forget how many quality people there really are in this world, until I come across people like this. I'm so thankful to have been able to get to know each person from the team.

We also had many opportunities to work with refugees. We helped with a clothing drive at The Oasis, brought meals to refugees, brought food to others, and just minister to the refugees around. I was even surprised to find that my Czech somewhat helped with communicating with the refugees who spoke Russian. It's not the same at all, but it's much closer than English or German.

It was definitely an eye-opening trip. It really opened my eyes and my heart to what's happening in other countries...and especially a country that's so close to Czech.

(Here's a picture of everyone in the team but me.)

Train Adventures

2006-09-16T09:15:00.000+02:00

Normally, traveling by train isn’t a problem in Czech. You can typically count on the trains to be where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there. Such was not the case recently. I was taking (what should have been) a two and a half hour trip. Oh, how I wish it had been. It ended up being a ten and a half hour trip. Yeah, that’s right . . . ten and a half hours! I’ll tell you the story.

I left in the morning at 11:15, and I was supposed to get to my final destination at 1:55. I only had to switch trains one time and I had ten minutes to do so. (There have been times when I needed to do it in three minutes, so I was fine with only having ten.) I arrived where I was supposed to switch trains and literally ran to my next train to play it safe and get there on time. Apparently, I didn’t play it safe enough, because it had already left. So, I checked the schedule, and had 3 ½ hours until the next train left. Which meant, I had to find something to do for that time.

Now, one thing that’s interesting about traveling over here, is that not only do you have to make sure you get on the right train, but you have to make sure you get on the right part of the train. Sometimes, you might get on the back of the train, and they leave it somewhere and only the front continues on to the next town. This was my next mistake. Thankfully, I was able to get off the back in enough time to get onto the front before it left.

After that, we made a stop in a town a few stops away. After about ten or fifteen minutes, I realized that this was a longer stop than it should have been. About a half hour later, and with trying to communicate through my broken Czech, I finally found out that there were computer problems in the next town and they didn’t know when the train would be leaving. The total time of waiting . . . are you ready for this? Four and a half hours!

THEN, literally three stops later, the police came on the train to check everyone’s passports (border crossing) but this only held us up fifteen more minutes.

Can I just tell you . . . I’ve never been so thankful to get somewhere before. But hey, it makes a good story.

EXIT 316 airs Wednesdays at 6:05PM!

2006-09-01T22:15:00.000+02:00

Here is the schedule of the episodes:
9/6-Another Dimension
9/13-Love
9/20-Friendship
9/27-Conflict
10/4-Forgiveness
10/11-Image
10/18-Disappointement
10/25-Fear
11/1-Courage
11/8-Addiction
11/15-Sex
11/22-Truth and Lies
11/29-Anger
12/6-Faith
12/13-Dark Side
12/20-Success
12/27-Meaning of Life

Grand Opening

2006-08-20T11:27:00.000+02:00

My church in Písek just recently finished building our new church building/youth center. August 6th was the Grand Opening. It was so amazing! Normally, we have about 120 people at a regular service. At the opening, there were about 550!!! We brought in every chair we owned and still didn't have enough chairs to seat everyone. What an amazing opportunity this is. I'm really excited about what God is going to do through having this building.

Youth Camp 2-Písek & Christ Community Church

2006-08-20T10:12:00.000+02:00

Youth Camp 2 was much different than I had expected. For starters, I was exhausted. I kept praying that God would give me strength, but the thing I looked forward to the most was taking a nap. I think my body was just telling me that it had had enough. Tuesday night rolled around, and I was flat-out angry with God. I was mad that I had been praying for strength and he didn't give it to me. I was mad that I was missing the wedding of someone who is very important to me. (Which made me realize that I was still mad that I had missed another good friend's wedding when I was in Haiti.) And I was just mad that I was there. This was the camp I was looking forward to the most, and I couldn't even enjoy it or be a part of things because I was so exhausted. So I sat in my room that night, praying and wrestling with God. I didn't want to be there anymore. I seriously considered figuring out how I could leave and get to my friend's wedding in time. As I was sitting there, my good friend, Jami walked in, and she was such an encouragement to me. I shared with her how mad I was and I saw that I had a few things I needed to give over to God. Jami encouraged me with the passages where Paul talks about his thorn in his side. Then Jesus says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I didn't know how God was going to use this, but I knew that He was going to. I finally said, "God, I have nothing left. Please work through my weakness."

That next day, I had planned on going home to get some rest instead of going on the ten-mile hike. But when I woke up, I knew God had other plans. I had more strength that day than I could have ever imagined. So I changed my plans and went on the hike, and the whole way there, I was able to talk with my friend Julie. Pause the story for a second, because I have to fill you in a little bit. (She's in the middle in the picture, and my friend Alča is on the right.) I met Julie last year at camp when she was in my English class. Throughout the year, God laid two people on my heart to be praying for, Julie and Jitka. Before camp, I had the opportunity to request who my roommates would be, and I requested Julie. (And because I was so exhausted and in my room all the time, Julie and I had many opportunities to talk.) Last year, Julie was in the same position that Hanka is in this year. She thought she wanted to accept Christ, but didn't want to make a decision like that at camp. So on the hike, Julie and I had a long time to be able to talk. Later that afternoon, I walked into our room and Julie was reading a Bible. So I asked her what she was reading. In that conversation, Julie told me that she wanted to give her life to God, and she and I were able to pray together. Praise God that He worked and I didn't! I was so weak, and I had nothing to give. But God was able to work though that, and through my exhaustion.

God is at work all around us. These are just a couple of the stories of how He worked at the camps, and there are many others. I can't help but praise Him for how He works through us...and through our weaknesses.

Family Camp-Písek & Christ Community Church

2006-08-20T10:11:00.000+02:00

Family Camp was a completely different atmosphere. At first, I thought that having three hours with twenty kids between the ages of five and fifteen would be difficult. But by the end of the three hours, I felt like we didn't have enough time. It was fun working with the kids, and hearing their thoughts on different things.

Youth Camp 1-Blatna & Blanchard Road Alliance Church

2006-08-20T10:10:00.000+02:00

Youth Camp 1 went really well. We were able to build relationships with people and share our faith with many. The night the gospel was presented, I was able to share my faith with a handful of people. Earlier that day, I had been very discouraged. I felt like I was having a hard time getting to know anyone. It seemed that a lot of people knew each other, and they stuck with their friends that they already knew. After the gospel presentation, we were given a Bible passage to read on our own. I walked out of my room after that, and after asking God to use me, and sitting outside of my door was a group of girls. Right away, they stopped me and started asking me questions. They said they had questions about the Bible, and when I sat down and asked them what kind of questions, it was like they couldn't wait to ask them. Their first question was about the trinity...and the questions just continued from there. I thank God that He was able to speak through me in that discussion. Later that night, God gave me another opportunity to share my faith with another girl who was hurting. I was truly amazed and overwhelmed with what God was doing in the hearts of so many.

A couple nights later, we had a bonfire where most people end up staying up all night. I walked out to the bonfire at around 11:00 and had planned to just talk for a few minutes and go to bed. I ended up getting into a conversation with a girl named Hanka (she's in the middle in the picture above), and she and I stayed up talking until 2:30 in the morning. Hanka ended up telling me that the only reason she didn't want to accept Christ was because she didn't want to make a decision at camp. She wanted to go home and get into the reality of life before she made a decision like that. So, she's going to go home and think about things, and she and I are going to meet in Prague and talk more about this. Please pray for Hanka, and for our meeting in Prague. I'm hoping we'll be able to meet in the next week or so to continue our conversation. Pray that whatever is holding her back will disappear and that she'll desire to become one of God's children.

Training at Malenovice

2006-08-20T10:04:00.000+02:00

I wasn't sure what to think about going to camp training. To be honest with you, I didn't really want to go. I thought that since I had been to camp before, I couldn't imagine why I would need to go to training for it. But I went and I had fun (isn't that always the case?). To me, the best part about it was that the team was able to bond and really get to know each other before we even started the camp. Now, I'm glad I went.

Interested?

2006-07-13T10:43:00.000+02:00

Well, I'm hoping my lack of consistency on here didn't turn everyone away from reading this. I'm also hoping that after the summer slows down, I'll update this more frequently. (I'm guessing that once my computer is fixed, I'll do much better at this.)

So here are my summer plans:

July 11-14 - Camp Training in Malenovice
July 15-22 - Youth Camp in Pisek (with Blanchard Road Alliance Church in Wheaton)
July 23-28 - At home in Pisek. Along with Camp follow-up. (Ali Fuehring will also be staying with me that week)
July 29-August 5 - Youth Camp in Pisek (with Christ Community Church)
August 6 - Official Church Grand Opening
August 6-12 - Follow up

There are a few things you can be praying for. I'll write more after all of this when I have time to breathe again.