company!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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?

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

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

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

(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!

a new kind of worship

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

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

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

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

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

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!