A few hours later...

See, I told you I'd find more time!

Like I said, I have the next few days off for Easter. It's interesting to me that one of the most atheistic countries has Easter Monday as a national holiday, and many schools (like mine) give more that that as well. It was also surprising to find that some of my students were familiar with the Resurrection story and had even learned about it a little bit in class!

They do have some original Easter traditions here. There are Easter markets up everywhere, filled with yummy food, crafts and millions of beautiful painted eggs. The main tradition in the Czech, though, is for the boys (although even adults do it too) to chase around the girls and hit them with sticks, while the girls have the right to throw water on them. Interesting, huh... but don't worry, this is only allowed on Easter Sunday until noon. No stick-hitting after that. If a girl is hit with a stick, though, it is said that she is blessed with "youngness." So I guess it's a good thing...? You also don't have to worry about finding a good stick - they are sold in the check-out line at the local grocery market.



Also because of our days off, Michelle and I are tackling our "things to do in Prague" list. We started this list when I first came, and we've been doing things here and there. We're excited though, to have this time to not travel far, but enjoy the great things that are in our own back yard. We went to the Letna Beer Gardens the other day (pictured in the previous post) and tomorrow we are going to the Prague Zoo (ranked 7th in the world!) so that should be exciting! :)

Also this past week - yesterday to be exact, I participated in the public Bible reading that Sasha Fleck and his church group put on! They did this last year around Easter as a celebration for finishing the new Bible translation. It is actually something that cities all across the Czech have participated in, having set hours to read the Bible out loud in the city square. I helped hand out information about the Bibles and churches in the city to those who were interested. Again, it was really neat to be a part of something that could not exist such a short time ago! You can be praying that God's Word that was sent out would accomplish what He desires!

Back in Action

Hi Everyone!!!

I'm so sorry it's taking this long to get back into the swing of keeping you updated with what's going on over here across the ocean. Let's just say it's been a busy couple of weeks (I know, I know, it's always that way). I do have pictures up finally from my spring break trip with friends from back home! And many good stories to go along with them. I will have to make you wait a little longer for those, however.

I'd rather fill you in on life since then first, and fill you in on the rest in the next few days. I have a long weekend off of school (Thurs. - Mon.) for Easter so, the likely hood of actually finding time to write is pretty high! :)

Anyways, I had a four day week last week and only a three day week this week so it was a nice transition out of vacation-mode. We did, however, have some extra things going on at school. There are about ten more "future first graders" who are interested in our program than we have room to take for next year's classes. As a result, the principal of our school decided that we should conduct mini interviews with each student and their parents to see if we could narrow down the list and basically decide who to take and who not to take. Yea, a little sketchy, but that's the way it was. So, Michelle and I and our assistants, along with the principal met with each child individually for 15 min. each after school. Michelle and I did different activities with them while our assistants and the principal talked with their parents. We also had to write down what we observed about the children, so that we could use the information for making our decision about each child. Needless to say, almost every 6 year old acting exactly the same in the one-on-one environment, and since we're not basing it off of their English level, we didn't gain a whole lot of useful information. I guess that's how it goes though - you gotta do what cha gotta do.

Ok, and I just tried to write a paragraph about staying on for another year... it is April Fool's you know... but I couldn't bring myself to do it. :) Not that many of you would have believed it in the first place. :) And I'm out of time for now, so I will have to leave it at that. All for now!

Spring is in the air!


Beer Gardens at Letna park.

On the Road Again

Alright!

The time has come for me to once again spread my wings and see some more of God's green (or white :()earth. And this time, with it's with three long lost friends!! :) Jamie, Rachel and Meagan - good friends from church back home - are flying over to see me and experience a bit of Europe for a few weeks. I am meeting Rachel and Jamie in Munich, Germany, tomorrow. We are renting a car and driving around the German and Austrian country side, visiting Salzburg and a few other cities. Meagan is meeting up with us later in the week, and then we are all heading back to Praha. As mom said, I'll take on my role as teacher by day and tour-guider by night and we'll finish off the week with a weekend trip south to Vienna, Austria. Needless to say, I am very excited!!! :) :) Also needless to say, the posts here will be few, but I promise to update and fill you in when I get the chance! You can be praying for fun, safety, and nice weather! :)

Have a wonderful next few weeks and I will talk to you later! Love and miss you all!!

Life

So, the past couple of weeks have been pretty turbulent. Kind of in every area of life. I can't go into too much detail here, but lets just say I've been learning that when life seems smooth, or even boring, I have to just be aware that it probably wont stay that way for very long. You can be praying for the smoothness to show itself again, but I'll also accept prayers for peace, strength and a sense of God's presence in the midst of it all. You can be praying that for some of my friends here, who I've become close with, as well. One thing I was reminded of recently is that the world around me, and even (especially??) the emotions inside of me, are always going to be fluctuating. The thing that I need to do is hold on to what I know is true, in the midst of all of that...

On a brighter note, the weather here has been amazing the past few days, and it's definitely wet my appetite for spring!! The snow is all melted, except for the few stubborn piles here and there, and the skies have been looking glorious. On Saturday I was able to get out and enjoy it, delighting in the fact that I could get away with wearing my light jacket and sunglasses. :) I also got to spend some wonderful time having lunch with my good friend Jess, and playing some cards (Canasta! :) with Michelle over pizza in the evening- all of which made the day that much better. I looked for a nice spring picture to put up here, but I was so busy loving the weather that I forgot to take a picture of it. There will be more chances for that later, I guess.

Anyways, that's all for now. Enjoy the rest of your week! I love you guys!

Community

This year we started up a new community group at our church for women which meets at mine and Talitha's flat on Wednesday nights. There are about six or seven women, ranging from my age to young moms who come each week. God has really blessed me with the women in this group. They are all very encouraging, have a good head on their shoulders, and just want to know God better like me. I've been so excited about how these relationships have formed over the past few months and am so thankful that God has provided them for me.

We decided to work our way through the book of Colossians and it's been great really digging in and seeing what God had to say to his people two thousand years ago, and what he's still saying to us today. I've been challenged to really think about what the premise was behind Paul's writing of the book, what his message meant to those receiving it, and how I can apply it in my own life. Being reminded of the Gospel truths and learning how to speak those into the lives of those around me has been wonderful.

Anyways, short and sweet. Just some of what I've been thinking about lately! :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Heart of the Matter

"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it."

Isaiah 30:15

Repentance and rest, quietness and trust. It is there that our salvation and strength can be found. God is always offering it, longing to give it to us. How often do we refuse it?

While the past few weeks have been pretty busy and filled with lots of good things, they've had some rough patches as far as emotions go. Funny how easy it is to lose sight of what's really important. Funny how we let ourselves lose sight of the One Thing that can and is holding it all together. I really am feeling more at home here, and enjoying the fact that life feels pretty "normal," especially with hanging out with friends and just living life. There are still moments and days, however, where it doesn't seem as fun or carefree or normal. It's usually then that I realize my focus hasn't been where it needs to be. It's usually then that I notice the fact that I'm not resting and trusting, repenting and being quiet. If only I could remember that all the time, in the midst of my days...

But yes. God is teaching and taking care of me still, here in Prague. The halfway point was this week too, I think. :) I'm still excited for the things yet to come here, and thrilled at the thought of seeing you all soon!

The Stats

Surprise! Here's a post! :)

Thanks to all of you who faithful check my blog, just because you love me and are interested in what's going on in my life. I'm sorry I do such a poor job at delivering the news. I do love you though, and it means so much to me!

I figured I'd do this round of posts in two segments - this one with things that have been going on, and the next one (following soon after) with the thoughts that have been accompanying them in the past couple of weeks.

Well, to start with - I did not end up going skiing Sunday like I had said I was planning on. We had to cancel and reschedule for the following week, only to cancel yet again. At that point I didn't plan on it happening any time soon, however my friend Jessica called me the next week (this past Saturday) and we did it! So Jessica and I, along with 4 other people she works with, piled into a van and drove 2 hrs. north to Spindleruv Mlyn and the mountains on the border with Poland. Needless to say, it was amazingly beautiful and just a little different from the skiing I've done in Cincinnati. :) Here are a few pics from the day, and the link to see the rest of them:





http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012831&id=142700074&l=9ae6cddab5

I also got the chance to see the music group Swell Season in concert last week! The group consists of one guy and one girl, playing piano and guitar, and singing some of the most beautiful harmonies. You might know them from the film Once. The concert was great, and lots of fun! It was in a beautiful underground ballroom in the heart of the city (you would never guess that it was buried under the big grey building!). It was especially fun to feel how excited and warm the crowd was towards the group. The girl is Czech herself, and it was obvious that the people there had a special place for her in their hearts. The music was lovely and the performance entertaining, especially with the four encores that they did at the end. :)

This past Sunday I visited the church group that Sasha Fleck is a part of here in Prague. Many of you know him and the work that he's done translating the Bible into Czech for the past 15 years. Our church (VCNW) has partnered with him in that and I have been looking forward to connecting with him since I've come over. I had seen him a couple of times, but hadn't made it to the group meeting on Sunday nights. I went with Michelle this week and it was really neat! Most of it was in Czech, but it was great to still feel like a part of the community and part of what God is doing here in Prague.

School has had some stressful moments over the past couple of weeks, although my individual classes are still going really well. The other teachers and myself are kind of feeling the pressure of it being the middle of the year and having parents and principals especially interested in what's going on, tangible results, student behavior, etc. It's good, but a bit stressful. I have been enjoying my 2nd graders especially, though - this week we learned about "it is/they are" and "there is/there are." It's really fun giving them the tools they need to form basic thoughts, and to have them listen and respond to different things! As long as they remember it a month from now, we'll be good to go... :)

And finally, the weeks have also been filled with more dinner and coffee dates with friends, along with a few relaxing evenings at home, making dinner and watching Chuck or the Office with Talitha. :) People ask what I do for fun here in the city, and quite honestly, those evenings at our flat are some of the best. :)

Ok, that's all for the moment, but more to come soon! Love love!