March 24 - March 28
So now that the Liberty team is gone it seems very quiet around here. After they left, the week was all about relaxation for us. The first two days were down days in a major way. Since we had taken the students to the airport at 4:00am in the morning, we went back to the seminary to sleep for a couple of hours before making the two hour drive back to Budejovice. Once we did get back in town, I was down for the rest of the day. I was able to catch up on my emails and some other tasks I needed to work on. I relaxed. The rest of the week was pretty much the same. We had all been so busy for ten days that we needed some time to not focus on anything or worry about anything. So Ron decided to treat us all to a day at the local spa. They call it a spa but it was really more of a health and wellness center. Either way, we all spent the afternoon soaking in a hot tub. Strange as it may seem, I actually felt a little guilty about this. I didn't know what all I would be doing here but I definitely didn't expect that I would sitting in a hot tub or getting a massage from the salon across the street. My supporters are also probably wondering if they could have spent their money on something other than sending a girl to Europe to be pampered. However, this was not our typical tasks but still an important activity for our ministry. I work at a church and understand how hectic things can be. I work around pastors who rarely have down time because there are people to visit, sermons to write, counseling to be done, and tons of other various tasks that come with the territory. But they know the importance in taking time to relax otherwise they become burnt out and are no longer effective. And what would be the point of even having a ministry if it is not effective? Now I have seen how busy missionaries can be. There is always something to be done, from making contacts to keeping up with communications in the States to actually doing a ministry activity. Yet I thought when I was giving up two months of my life to come to the mission field that I would be giving up many luxuries and comforts. Sitting in a hot tub didn't seem like missionary work but relaxation was vital to my ministry. God doesn't want us to be so busy that we never have time to take a break and enjoy the blessings that He has given us. Doing ministry in Czech may be in a different language than ministry in the U.S. but it is still ministry. I take the time to relax and pamper myself at home why should I not take the time to relax here? Yes, I gave a lot of things up. But my sanity is not one of them nor is it one I am willing to part with. Especially in a foreign country where everything is different to me.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Chasing Liberty!
Hello again! These posts are way behind because I have been following college students around Eastern Europe and have been on a much needed break for the past two days. Liberty is gone now but they are greatly missed! After spending a week with 14 of Liberty's finest, I have decided that the school that half my colleagues at home talk about really does produce some pretty impressive young adults. All the students were more than ready to do whatever needed to be done, no matter how big or small. They dedicated these ten days to faithfully and fully serving the Lord and the Barnes family. With all the tasks they were able to accomplish, they still found time to wrap their week in prayer and daily personal time with the Lord! So, I will try to sum up how they spent the majority of their week. First, I would like to introduce you to the great group of students that I have had the pleasure of working with all week long:
Taylor, Bryson, Dan, Annie, Ryan, Jessica, Stephanie, Jillian, Rachel,Meredith, Holly, Mia, and Josie
Team Liberty's Fearless Leader, Ryan
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday:
These were mostly work days for the students. They were able to get a lot done at the Barnes house and the church; the tasks that they accomplished saved the Barnes about six months of work. What a huge blessing. At night, we continued with the English classes and we had a steady roster of the same four people all week. A young girl came to the Advanced class one night, but ended up translating for Lita in the Beginner class. During Big Group Time, Ron had a different student speak each night to bring an encouraging word to the students. Speaking to non-believers who don't even fully understand your language can prove to be quite a challenge, but the students did a great job coming up with simple messages that could encourage and inspire. We were able to take another visit to Ceske Krumlov, the beautiful little city that sits twenty minutes away on the river. We explored the local community by visiting local hot-spots such as Tesco, the afore mentioned grocery store, and Globus, a combination mall and Wal-Mart-type shopping center. And the students taught four more classes at the elementary school, which proved to be a huge success. In fact, the school was so excited about the participation from the students that they have asked us to come back on a regular basis to help the students with their English. That is huge for a Christian ministry to be invited into a public school in a dark country just because we showed the children some attention! This was a huge breakthrough and will hopefully lead to more open doors in the community.
Friday:
America took over the town of Ceske Budejovice in full force today as we were released in teams of three for a Scavenger Hunt, Czech Style! My team, i.e. the winning team, was made up of myself, our wonderful leader Sophie Barnes, Josie, Rachel, Bryson, and Mia. We followed clues that took us all over the town square and beyond and had us doing everything from eating ice cream in freezing weather to putting our feet in an icy river. We had been told that there was no time limit but the most creative and funny pictures would win so we all put our heads together to get some awesome shots of "Team Czech Us Out" hitting the town of Ceske Budjovice. It was a great opportunity for not only the Liberty students to sightsee and practice the Czech language but also for myself since I hadn't really seen the city. The best part was that we had to get locals to take the pictures, since we had to be in them, so the looks we got from them were priceless. They watched as we hung Sophie over a rail, climbed a wall on a bridge, asked total strangers to be in pictures, acted like birds eating food, dunked me under a water fountain, and did handstands next to giant pencils. Although the game was deemed a tie, we all know who really won...
After the hunt, we shopped for a little while since the square was filled with merchants for Easter. A group of us decided to go up the historical Black Tower, however, and I was so glad I went with them. The concept was simple and familiar: walk up about 245 steps of a tall lighthouse type building and take pictures atop the city. Well, somehow climbing lighthouses in Savannah was a lot simpler. The Black Tower steps were skinny and narrow and the cold weather and heavy coats did not make for ideal climbing conditions. But once we got to the top, it was definitely worth the sweat and sore legs. The view was amazing! How beautiful it is to see a city from the way God sees it...up high and able to see everything in one view! After several dozen pictures were taken from every angle and with every participant, we made our descent back down, which was much quicker for some reason.
That night we had the Good Friday service at the church. This was a really cool idea and the turn out was great. We spent a few minutes in remembrance of the sacrifice that Christ made for us - coming to Earth only to be rejected and killed by the very ones He came to love. But then, as Ron encouraged us, we celebrated His resurrection. After all, that is what Easter is all about. He is alive and not dead and we celebrated that fact through songs in English and Czech, praising a God that gave the ultimate gift so that we could have the ultimate existence! It was a great service and a great time to fellowship with the church members.
After that, it was time for us to have our own little celebration! Brenda prepared a whole table of goodies for ice cream sundaes and we all sat down together to view the pictures from the day. Not only were the pictures being judged but there poems written while in the square, using words from the square and I don't think there are any words that I could use to describe the poetic beauty that that came out of the minds of the three teams. All I can say is, Dr. Suess would be proud but Robert Frost would probably cringe. We were rolling on the floor though - it's amazing what college kids can come up with! Again, Ron declared it a tie between the teams, all led by a Barnes child. So as we sat and screamed for our respective leader the kids got to feel like rock stars for a little while which was actually pretty satisfying. But I still say there was a clear cut winner - after all, why play a game if you can't win? Then you are just a group of losers - super! Everyone did a great job though! (But Team Czech Us Out did the best)
Saturday:
We had an amazing morning planned. We were off to Hluboka Castle, about thirty minutes away in the town of Hluboka. Everyone was so excited - the castles are one of the reasons people come to this area. We walked about a mile up the hill to get to the castle, which apparently is a theme around here, but once we reached it the walk again was totally worth it! Ron had told us that the parents of one of the local girls, Eva, had gotten married here in the castle. Judging by the outside alone, I would definitely be ok getting married in this castle. It was beautiful! We took a bunch of pictures of the outside and the inner courtyard and then we waited to see if we could tour the inside. Ron had been told that it would be closed due to the winter; it would cost too much to heat the entire building so they only offer tours during the warmer months. Yet, today they were taking groups through. So it was arranged for us to get an English speaking tour guide - we just had to wait about thirty minutes for them to be ready. Unfortunately, we were not able to take pictures inside the castle and we had to be extremely quiet and respectful. They are not above throwing people out in the middle of the tour.
The castle was beautiful! It was absolutely amazing! Every room was carved with deep wood in such an intricate manner. The ceilings were painted in gold, purple and red flowers. Chandeliers were huge crystal ornaments hanging from the ceilings. There were treasure boxes and paintings and deer heads in all the rooms. There were several rooms dedicated solely to armor and weapons that the family used for wartime. The formal dining room sat 72 people. I have been to the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina and I must say that the Biltmore paled in comparison of elegance and grandeur. Hluboka was incredible and the tour guide did such a great job explaining everything in English, though his accent was a bit hard to understand. He made us laugh with his humor about the castle and the people. He even let one of the college students, Holly, play the grand piano. That was pretty awesome to watch - if only we could have taken pictures! Everyone loaded up with postcards once we got outside and then we hiked back down the hill. Today happened to be an extremely cold day and since they were not able to heat the castle, it actually felt colder inside than it did outside.
For the afternoon, we were going to be staying at The Open Door Club. There we would be holding a game afternoon, but with indoor games due to the cold. We were not sure who would be showing up so we sat and waited and then started playing a big group game called the "Animal Game." I'm not really sure of the point of this besides you act like an animal and you have to remember who the other "animals" are. It was funny to watch though - after all, anything is better than Mafia. After being accused of the being Mafia in my first time playing and then being whacked the second time, I was pretty much done with that game. The college kids thought they were Tony Soprano apparently. After a while Yada and Olga, our landlords, showed up. We split up into smaller groups to play card games and I orchestrated a game of spoons with my group. Then came Rapture and Egyptian Rapture. It was a fun afternoon and I think Yada and Olga enjoyed just sitting around and talking to everyone. They even brought us food and their daughter Lita made us a chocolate lamb cake for Easter. It was just shaped like a lamb, not actually made of lamb - a few of the kids were worried. Once the games were done, we headed back to the Barnes house for dinner and somehow ended up watching High School Musical. I lost about two hours of my life that night that I will never get back. I know this will probably enrage a lot of people because this craze seems to have brainwashed America and now surrounding areas but I found this movie very hard to sit through with using any gag reflexes.
Sunday:
Easter morning in Czech was much different than Easter morning in America but it was Easter just the same! Today would be bittersweet however, since it was our last day with the Liberty students. We put on our best dress for the service and the students got all their things packed up. The service was really great. The students led us in English worship and we also sang in Czech for the church members. Vlada gave a great message about the Resurrection of Christ and luckily Peter translated for us. It was so nice to hear the message of Christ halfway around the world, in another language.
Immediately after church we had to change and get on the road. A quick stop at KFC (yes that is Kentucky Fried Chicken) we headed to Prague for the day. It was about a two hour drive and boy were we ready to get there. First though, we had to stop at the Baptist Seminary in Prague, which is where we were staying for the night. Then we parked the vans and we set out on foot to explore the beauty of Prague. The first stop was the castle district. It was crowded and we had to stick together to avoid getting lost or pick pocketed but it was so neat. There were all these beautiful buildings and massive cathedrals. Statues filled the inner courts and it was crazy to stand there in the middle and be surrounded by this huge beauty of work. We all tried to stay together and still stop and take pictures every few minutes. Ron lead us through the area and then would stop every once and a while to release us for fifteen minutes before we had to move on to the next stop. After the castle district we headed into downtown Prague, near the famous Charles Bridge. We walked down cobblestone streets (can't get over that) along skinny little roads with outdoor cafes and little shops along the way. I took pictures of everything and still couldn't believe I was walking through this major European town. We got to a stopping point just before the bridge and Ron stopped us to brief us. We had about an hour and a half to shop and sightsee and then we were moving to the next area. He pointed out the Starbucks and let us go. Of course, about half us went straight to the coffee shop to fill up on our American java. And yes, I was part of that group. I wanted a mocha! About thirty other people were also flocking in as well, so we were a little worried that we would waste about thirty minutes just trying to get our drinks. Now, I am not trying to be anti-American in the least but I have to give another point to the Czechs on this one. This Starbucks was more efficient with thirty customers than I've seen American Starbucks with two. We stepped up, gave our order, our name, they threw the cup down the counter, we paid, and we were out. Literally, in five minutes. I was impressed - this location should be a training headquarters!
Once we had our jump start, we were on our way. Unfortunately, once we reached the door we saw that it was pouring down rain. None the less, we headed out and shopped for a while ducking into little shops to get out of the weather. Normally, the shops are pretty set on their prices and will not barter with you; it is not the culture like it is Latin America. All I did was stop in one store where some of the rest of the group was and pick up an item and all of a sudden the worker is bartering with me. He must have spotted my keen business skills, because he started with just 10kr coming off the price. Well, I was not going to fall for that. I walked out of the store with the item, and I paid about 40kr less than what was on the sticker. Even the Barnes thought this was strange that he did this. But I was not complaining. Once my group reached the bridge, it was still raining but it was still so beautiful to see! We were wet and tired but to stand on the bridge and see so much of Prague, with a ferry boat playing music in the background, was so amazing! We walked along the bridge and looked at all the vendor's paintings of the scenery. This was really cool to see; they tend to be more expensive on the bridge but we didn't have a whole lot of time left and the group had money to spend. It had stopped raining and we started to enjoy the stroll along the water, looking at the paintings and trying to find ones that were nice but not too expensive.
We left the bridge and walked to another area of the town. This was the old town square, and it was filled with people and more merchants. A little fair was set up due to the Easter holiday so we shopped yet some more and explored the area. Fifteen minutes there and we walked to the next stop. Another thirty minutes of shopping in another area and we were finally worn out. The last stop was neat though because you could see the capitol building and these streets were lines with really nice clothing stores. Now I felt at home! Now it was time for a new experience - public transportation. We walked to the subway station and Ron got us all tickets. This inevitably produced another photo session as most of us had never ridden a subway before, myself included. So we took the subway, which wasn't much different than the tram at the Atlanta airport, over to another stop where we then took a public bus. Their bus system is completely electric though, and there are big bars that stick out of the top and run along the wires. It was all very exciting for a girl from a small town in GA. We got in the vans and drove to dinner, which was a really nice mediterranean restaurant called the Myln Restaurant. We checked our coats and they had two long tables set up for us, all decorated very nicely. The food was amazing, the service was super, and the company was even better. We got to drink from fancy little wine glasses (not wine, just used the glasses) and everything was so nice. They put your coat on for you when you left, which was another surprise for most of us. You just don't get service like that anymore...
It was a great last night together and a really nice way to just relax and hang out. We met up again in one room at the seminary to debrief about the trip and it was so encouraging to hear how impacted the students were after ten days. It was encouraging for me just to have them around. They definitely brought America to me and I built some amazing friendships through it. They completely made me feel like one of them and welcomed me as part of their group - I knew it was going to be tough to say good-bye to them. By the time we were done, we went to bed for about four hours. At 3:30am we were up again to take the students to the airport to catch a flight at 6:00am. The good-byes were sad and it was hard to see them off. I have made some amazing friends within them and seen a group of extremely dedicated, strong Christian students fulfill the Lord's purpose in Czech Republic. I couldn't have been more humbled and encouraged by their presence. They were such a blessing to know and I pray that God truly blesses them in their future.
America, meet:
Taylor, Bryson, Dan, Annie, Ryan, Jessica, Stephanie, Jillian, Rachel,Meredith, Holly, Mia, and Josie
Team Liberty's Fearless Leader, RyanTuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday:
These were mostly work days for the students. They were able to get a lot done at the Barnes house and the church; the tasks that they accomplished saved the Barnes about six months of work. What a huge blessing. At night, we continued with the English classes and we had a steady roster of the same four people all week. A young girl came to the Advanced class one night, but ended up translating for Lita in the Beginner class. During Big Group Time, Ron had a different student speak each night to bring an encouraging word to the students. Speaking to non-believers who don't even fully understand your language can prove to be quite a challenge, but the students did a great job coming up with simple messages that could encourage and inspire. We were able to take another visit to Ceske Krumlov, the beautiful little city that sits twenty minutes away on the river. We explored the local community by visiting local hot-spots such as Tesco, the afore mentioned grocery store, and Globus, a combination mall and Wal-Mart-type shopping center. And the students taught four more classes at the elementary school, which proved to be a huge success. In fact, the school was so excited about the participation from the students that they have asked us to come back on a regular basis to help the students with their English. That is huge for a Christian ministry to be invited into a public school in a dark country just because we showed the children some attention! This was a huge breakthrough and will hopefully lead to more open doors in the community.
Friday:America took over the town of Ceske Budejovice in full force today as we were released in teams of three for a Scavenger Hunt, Czech Style! My team, i.e. the winning team, was made up of myself, our wonderful leader Sophie Barnes, Josie, Rachel, Bryson, and Mia. We followed clues that took us all over the town square and beyond and had us doing everything from eating ice cream in freezing weather to putting our feet in an icy river. We had been told that there was no time limit but the most creative and funny pictures would win so we all put our heads together to get some awesome shots of "Team Czech Us Out" hitting the town of Ceske Budjovice. It was a great opportunity for not only the Liberty students to sightsee and practice the Czech language but also for myself since I hadn't really seen the city. The best part was that we had to get locals to take the pictures, since we had to be in them, so the looks we got from them were priceless. They watched as we hung Sophie over a rail, climbed a wall on a bridge, asked total strangers to be in pictures, acted like birds eating food, dunked me under a water fountain, and did handstands next to giant pencils. Although the game was deemed a tie, we all know who really won...
After the hunt, we shopped for a little while since the square was filled with merchants for Easter. A group of us decided to go up the historical Black Tower, however, and I was so glad I went with them. The concept was simple and familiar: walk up about 245 steps of a tall lighthouse type building and take pictures atop the city. Well, somehow climbing lighthouses in Savannah was a lot simpler. The Black Tower steps were skinny and narrow and the cold weather and heavy coats did not make for ideal climbing conditions. But once we got to the top, it was definitely worth the sweat and sore legs. The view was amazing! How beautiful it is to see a city from the way God sees it...up high and able to see everything in one view! After several dozen pictures were taken from every angle and with every participant, we made our descent back down, which was much quicker for some reason.
That night we had the Good Friday service at the church. This was a really cool idea and the turn out was great. We spent a few minutes in remembrance of the sacrifice that Christ made for us - coming to Earth only to be rejected and killed by the very ones He came to love. But then, as Ron encouraged us, we celebrated His resurrection. After all, that is what Easter is all about. He is alive and not dead and we celebrated that fact through songs in English and Czech, praising a God that gave the ultimate gift so that we could have the ultimate existence! It was a great service and a great time to fellowship with the church members.After that, it was time for us to have our own little celebration! Brenda prepared a whole table of goodies for ice cream sundaes and we all sat down together to view the pictures from the day. Not only were the pictures being judged but there poems written while in the square, using words from the square and I don't think there are any words that I could use to describe the poetic beauty that that came out of the minds of the three teams. All I can say is, Dr. Suess would be proud but Robert Frost would probably cringe. We were rolling on the floor though - it's amazing what college kids can come up with! Again, Ron declared it a tie between the teams, all led by a Barnes child. So as we sat and screamed for our respective leader the kids got to feel like rock stars for a little while which was actually pretty satisfying. But I still say there was a clear cut winner - after all, why play a game if you can't win? Then you are just a group of losers - super! Everyone did a great job though! (But Team Czech Us Out did the best)
Saturday:We had an amazing morning planned. We were off to Hluboka Castle, about thirty minutes away in the town of Hluboka. Everyone was so excited - the castles are one of the reasons people come to this area. We walked about a mile up the hill to get to the castle, which apparently is a theme around here, but once we reached it the walk again was totally worth it! Ron had told us that the parents of one of the local girls, Eva, had gotten married here in the castle. Judging by the outside alone, I would definitely be ok getting married in this castle. It was beautiful! We took a bunch of pictures of the outside and the inner courtyard and then we waited to see if we could tour the inside. Ron had been told that it would be closed due to the winter; it would cost too much to heat the entire building so they only offer tours during the warmer months. Yet, today they were taking groups through. So it was arranged for us to get an English speaking tour guide - we just had to wait about thirty minutes for them to be ready. Unfortunately, we were not able to take pictures inside the castle and we had to be extremely quiet and respectful. They are not above throwing people out in the middle of the tour.
The castle was beautiful! It was absolutely amazing! Every room was carved with deep wood in such an intricate manner. The ceilings were painted in gold, purple and red flowers. Chandeliers were huge crystal ornaments hanging from the ceilings. There were treasure boxes and paintings and deer heads in all the rooms. There were several rooms dedicated solely to armor and weapons that the family used for wartime. The formal dining room sat 72 people. I have been to the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina and I must say that the Biltmore paled in comparison of elegance and grandeur. Hluboka was incredible and the tour guide did such a great job explaining everything in English, though his accent was a bit hard to understand. He made us laugh with his humor about the castle and the people. He even let one of the college students, Holly, play the grand piano. That was pretty awesome to watch - if only we could have taken pictures! Everyone loaded up with postcards once we got outside and then we hiked back down the hill. Today happened to be an extremely cold day and since they were not able to heat the castle, it actually felt colder inside than it did outside.
For the afternoon, we were going to be staying at The Open Door Club. There we would be holding a game afternoon, but with indoor games due to the cold. We were not sure who would be showing up so we sat and waited and then started playing a big group game called the "Animal Game." I'm not really sure of the point of this besides you act like an animal and you have to remember who the other "animals" are. It was funny to watch though - after all, anything is better than Mafia. After being accused of the being Mafia in my first time playing and then being whacked the second time, I was pretty much done with that game. The college kids thought they were Tony Soprano apparently. After a while Yada and Olga, our landlords, showed up. We split up into smaller groups to play card games and I orchestrated a game of spoons with my group. Then came Rapture and Egyptian Rapture. It was a fun afternoon and I think Yada and Olga enjoyed just sitting around and talking to everyone. They even brought us food and their daughter Lita made us a chocolate lamb cake for Easter. It was just shaped like a lamb, not actually made of lamb - a few of the kids were worried. Once the games were done, we headed back to the Barnes house for dinner and somehow ended up watching High School Musical. I lost about two hours of my life that night that I will never get back. I know this will probably enrage a lot of people because this craze seems to have brainwashed America and now surrounding areas but I found this movie very hard to sit through with using any gag reflexes.
Sunday:
Easter morning in Czech was much different than Easter morning in America but it was Easter just the same! Today would be bittersweet however, since it was our last day with the Liberty students. We put on our best dress for the service and the students got all their things packed up. The service was really great. The students led us in English worship and we also sang in Czech for the church members. Vlada gave a great message about the Resurrection of Christ and luckily Peter translated for us. It was so nice to hear the message of Christ halfway around the world, in another language.
Immediately after church we had to change and get on the road. A quick stop at KFC (yes that is Kentucky Fried Chicken) we headed to Prague for the day. It was about a two hour drive and boy were we ready to get there. First though, we had to stop at the Baptist Seminary in Prague, which is where we were staying for the night. Then we parked the vans and we set out on foot to explore the beauty of Prague. The first stop was the castle district. It was crowded and we had to stick together to avoid getting lost or pick pocketed but it was so neat. There were all these beautiful buildings and massive cathedrals. Statues filled the inner courts and it was crazy to stand there in the middle and be surrounded by this huge beauty of work. We all tried to stay together and still stop and take pictures every few minutes. Ron lead us through the area and then would stop every once and a while to release us for fifteen minutes before we had to move on to the next stop. After the castle district we headed into downtown Prague, near the famous Charles Bridge. We walked down cobblestone streets (can't get over that) along skinny little roads with outdoor cafes and little shops along the way. I took pictures of everything and still couldn't believe I was walking through this major European town. We got to a stopping point just before the bridge and Ron stopped us to brief us. We had about an hour and a half to shop and sightsee and then we were moving to the next area. He pointed out the Starbucks and let us go. Of course, about half us went straight to the coffee shop to fill up on our American java. And yes, I was part of that group. I wanted a mocha! About thirty other people were also flocking in as well, so we were a little worried that we would waste about thirty minutes just trying to get our drinks. Now, I am not trying to be anti-American in the least but I have to give another point to the Czechs on this one. This Starbucks was more efficient with thirty customers than I've seen American Starbucks with two. We stepped up, gave our order, our name, they threw the cup down the counter, we paid, and we were out. Literally, in five minutes. I was impressed - this location should be a training headquarters!
Once we had our jump start, we were on our way. Unfortunately, once we reached the door we saw that it was pouring down rain. None the less, we headed out and shopped for a while ducking into little shops to get out of the weather. Normally, the shops are pretty set on their prices and will not barter with you; it is not the culture like it is Latin America. All I did was stop in one store where some of the rest of the group was and pick up an item and all of a sudden the worker is bartering with me. He must have spotted my keen business skills, because he started with just 10kr coming off the price. Well, I was not going to fall for that. I walked out of the store with the item, and I paid about 40kr less than what was on the sticker. Even the Barnes thought this was strange that he did this. But I was not complaining. Once my group reached the bridge, it was still raining but it was still so beautiful to see! We were wet and tired but to stand on the bridge and see so much of Prague, with a ferry boat playing music in the background, was so amazing! We walked along the bridge and looked at all the vendor's paintings of the scenery. This was really cool to see; they tend to be more expensive on the bridge but we didn't have a whole lot of time left and the group had money to spend. It had stopped raining and we started to enjoy the stroll along the water, looking at the paintings and trying to find ones that were nice but not too expensive.
We left the bridge and walked to another area of the town. This was the old town square, and it was filled with people and more merchants. A little fair was set up due to the Easter holiday so we shopped yet some more and explored the area. Fifteen minutes there and we walked to the next stop. Another thirty minutes of shopping in another area and we were finally worn out. The last stop was neat though because you could see the capitol building and these streets were lines with really nice clothing stores. Now I felt at home! Now it was time for a new experience - public transportation. We walked to the subway station and Ron got us all tickets. This inevitably produced another photo session as most of us had never ridden a subway before, myself included. So we took the subway, which wasn't much different than the tram at the Atlanta airport, over to another stop where we then took a public bus. Their bus system is completely electric though, and there are big bars that stick out of the top and run along the wires. It was all very exciting for a girl from a small town in GA. We got in the vans and drove to dinner, which was a really nice mediterranean restaurant called the Myln Restaurant. We checked our coats and they had two long tables set up for us, all decorated very nicely. The food was amazing, the service was super, and the company was even better. We got to drink from fancy little wine glasses (not wine, just used the glasses) and everything was so nice. They put your coat on for you when you left, which was another surprise for most of us. You just don't get service like that anymore...
It was a great last night together and a really nice way to just relax and hang out. We met up again in one room at the seminary to debrief about the trip and it was so encouraging to hear how impacted the students were after ten days. It was encouraging for me just to have them around. They definitely brought America to me and I built some amazing friendships through it. They completely made me feel like one of them and welcomed me as part of their group - I knew it was going to be tough to say good-bye to them. By the time we were done, we went to bed for about four hours. At 3:30am we were up again to take the students to the airport to catch a flight at 6:00am. The good-byes were sad and it was hard to see them off. I have made some amazing friends within them and seen a group of extremely dedicated, strong Christian students fulfill the Lord's purpose in Czech Republic. I couldn't have been more humbled and encouraged by their presence. They were such a blessing to know and I pray that God truly blesses them in their future.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Let It Snow!
This is going to be a pretty long post so fix a nice hot mug of horka cokalada (hot chocolate) sit back, relax, and enjoy! Now, the drink may be a little out of season for everyone there in America but it is actually what we have been living off of this past week (that and cappuccino). I have seen more snow in the past two days than I have in the past two years, excluding a Christmas trip to WV. That's right, it has been snowing here! Though it's off and on and only sticks for a little while, it is still snow and a rarity to see in GA so I have enjoyed it! I could live without the -3 degree temperature but at least I brought plenty of warm clothes. I'm not as brave as some of the college kids who walk around in short sleeves and ballet flats - well, maybe brave isn't the right word! Either way, it has been an adventure! Let me begin my story...
Sunday:
We had church this morning and they have one service at 9:30am. It was rainy and very cold outside but Jen had us run by the store before the service. We arrived a few minutes before it started and I took the time to check out the surroundings. They had acquired a small building from the government to use as their church; it had one large room, which was pretty much a two-car garage, that they used as the sanctuary. Going up a small set of stairs, you come to a little living room and kitchen area and then up a larger set of stairs is a set of bedrooms. This is where the guys were staying for the week. So they had a keyboard and pulpit and an overhead projector and a bunch of chairs set up for the service. Ron gave introductions and announcements but had a member of the church, Petr, translate. And yes, I spelled that correctly! Petr is Lydia's husband, who hosts the prayer meetings every week. He speaks about five different languages. We began by singing some songs, all in Czech of course. But I recognized the melody and realized they were very familiar songs just in another language. I tried really hard to sing along and pronounce things the best I could and I got fairly good at one song in particular. Of course we sang it several times but I was getting the hang of it. Czech words are so hard to pronounce because of the marks above them, and the lack of vowels. It was really cool though listening to how they worshiped God in their language and to think about how God created so many different languages and dialects and understands them all. Announcements followed and then some more songs and Ron had asked one of the Liberty students to share his testimony. It was very encouraging to listen to and appropriate for the people there. Before turning to God, he had a past filled with drugs, alcohol, and bad influences. After coming to know the Lord, he faithfully gave up all the destructive behavior and ultimately ended up giving up his old friends as well. He soon found himself with no Christian friends, yet stayed true and believed that God would bring them in His time. I believe it was very encouraging to a group of people who face that every single day of their lives. Less than 2% of the population are actually believers and that statistic could even be outdated for today. I can't even imagine living in a country where Christianity is not the norm - it is not even the minority. It is actually unknown to most people, yet this small body of believers continue to stand strong and truly rely on each other.
The rest of the service went great. Ron had asked another Liberty student to preach the message and seeing as how it was a week before Easter, he decided to speak about the story of the palm branch and Jesus riding into town on a donkey and colt. He used this story to explain that we need to be the colt and take Jesus everywhere we go, as in work and school and even our own homes. It was a really neat message and to see what a young college student got out of that story was really encouraging. These kids have really amazed me since they have been here - they are really solid! Then, after every service they have a "coffee time" for the members of the church so that they can fellowship with each other instead of leaving right away. This is a great time for the Czech people to get encouraged and to spend a little more time in a positive atmosphere. This gave me a lot of time to meet the members and try to work on my cesky a little.
After coffee time, we were all going to split up and eat lunch with several different families. Jen and I were eating with our land lords and two of the Liberty girls, the leader of the group, and the Barnes daughter Tori. We were going to make the dessert and a salad and Yada and Olga were making an authentic Czech dinner. We prepared our food and set the table and patiently waited for our guests to arrive.
They came up a little after two and we made all the introductions. They showed us what they had brought and it looked and smelled delicious. This was going to be my first experience with authentic Czech food as well, so I was pretty excited. Yada explained that we were having
dumplings, beef, and a mushroom sauce. Normally, the favorite is pork but today they did beef. Olga also made potato pancakes.
The meal was delicious! We stuffed ourselves with food and good company. It was so neat to talk to Yada and Olga; they know a little English but enough for us to have a good conversation. They actually own a rafting business where people can raft down a river that runs right behind the Barnes house. They also gave us a lot of insight on and history on Czech and the economy and all that stuff that you talk about when you have never been to a country before. It was really neat and Yada agreed that if he would teach me some Czech words, then I would teach him some English. It's interesting to see how badly they want to learn that language. I will actually be working with their daughter while I am here to help with her English. After lunch we wanted to play "Spoons" with them; they know how to play and are actually pretty competitive. It was hilarious watching us all try to pass cards and grab for spoons before anyone else! Luckily, no one lost any fingers considering my nails are pretty long but we did have a great time. We ate so much at lunch that we did not want to move - I was definitely feeling a Sunday afternoon nap coming on. But we had other things to do.
We had to go to Krumlov because we were beginning our English classes tonight at the elementary school. The vans came and picked us up and we drove the 20 minutes to Cesky Krumlov. The school is right next door to the Open Door Club, which is a room that they use for outreach in the community. We were holding classes for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced English students, which is what we had passed out fliers for the previous day. We were unsure of the response that we would get but we were all hopeful that we would have a good turn-out and that the Liberty students would be able to teach the lessons they had prepared. Once we entered the school, we had to take our shoes off. As is the custom in all the homes, you also do not wear your outside shoes in the school buildings. So you bring an extra pair of shoes or slippers, which is what most of us did. Since it was at night though, it was acceptable for some of us to just wear our socks. We opened up the classrooms and Ron gave us a rundown of what to do and expect. I was just going to sit in the Beginner class and observe; the girl that was coming to this class would be the girl that I would work with for the next six weeks. The classes started at six, and at first we didn't think anyone would come. But at about 6:15, Yada (our landlord) and his daughter Lita showed up. Yada takes the Intermediate class, while Lita was in our Beginner classes. There were also a couple of other students in the Intermediate class, including a local partner of Ron's who really wants to learn English. The class was really interesting and the girls did a great job! Lita was so excited to be learning English and even had notes from a previous class she had taken. She is very bright and wants so badly to be able to communicate with the Barnes family. Class goes for 45min, then we have a short "Big Group" time in which Ron shares an encouraging word and we sing some songs. After that, we have another 45min of class. Ron comes up with crazy songs for us to sing like "Whadaleeotcha" and "Hi, My Name is Joe." Of course, he also follows up "Thy don't Word" to encourage the students who are most likely not believers. I have never taught or even sat through an actual English class so it was really interesting. You really can start anywhere in the language because they don't understand any of the concepts; of course, it is also hard to communicate because they don't understand much of what you say. But the class went great and it gave me an idea of where to go with her lessons when they left and gave the girls an idea of how to construct the rest of the classes.
Monday:
Today was one of my favorite days so far here in the Czech. The local elementary school, the one that we are using for English classes, had invited Ron's ministry to come into the school and teach the kids about the real Easter. This was an amazing breakthrough because it would make a great contact for their ministry and the fact that an atheist region would allow a religious group to come in and talk about, well, religion was pretty miraculous. Stephanie, from Liberty, was going to teach two classes this morning and Ron took a few of the other girls with them to help out and observe. Luckily, I was able to go as well and I am so thankful that I did.
The kids' English teacher came in with each class; we had a 7th grade and an 8th grade class. Stephanie did a great job by playing a game with them to teach them some facts about America. They all got involved and actually were pretty up to speed on their American culture. She told them them about Easter and how it differed from the traditions and beliefs here in Czech. There was maybe one kid in the first class who had even heard of Jesus or the concept of going to church on Easter. The best part came after Stephanie finished up with her lesson and we had time left over. Ron split up the kids into groups of two and three and then gave each of the Americans a group of kids to talk with. We asked them questions and they did their best to talk to us in English and even ask us some questions. We did this for both classes and I loved it! My heart is with kids and working with them and communicating with them and even though these kids were older, it was such a blessing to be able to talk with them. They acted like typical middle-schoolers: there was the class clown, the quiet type, the girls who were always the "pretty ones," the eccentrics, the jocks. The only difference was that they spoke another language. They were a tad overwhelming all together but once we sat down one on one with them, it was so amazing. These kids were older than I was used to working with and they barely spoke English, but I got past all that and just talked. The quiet ones spoke up, the ones who knew very little English tried their hardest to speak, and they even helped each other understand us by translating. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. These kids didn't care that we couldn't really understand each other or that they probably knew more about our country than we knew about theirs. They opened up to us and really showed an interest in us. It is so strange to see how, even in a very stable country, the citizens are still fascinated by America and wanted to know more about it. Never in America would we be asked if we wanted to go to Czech and what we wanted to see when we got there. It was just so neat to talk with these kids and to even learn from them.
As if I hadn't already had an incredible day, it was time for us to see the city! About twenty minutes from where I live is a little town called Ceske Krumlov, a beautiful old-style town that has become a tourist spot for everyone from locals to people all over the world. We spent the rest of the afternoon here, shopping and sight seeing. We walked down cobblestone streets no bigger than one lane. Little shops lined each side, each one a different bright color and offering everything from garnet jewelry to little wooden puppets. We saw castles and statues and a beautiful river ran right through it all. It was amazing and can really only be justified in pictures. Enjoy!
Sunday:
We had church this morning and they have one service at 9:30am. It was rainy and very cold outside but Jen had us run by the store before the service. We arrived a few minutes before it started and I took the time to check out the surroundings. They had acquired a small building from the government to use as their church; it had one large room, which was pretty much a two-car garage, that they used as the sanctuary. Going up a small set of stairs, you come to a little living room and kitchen area and then up a larger set of stairs is a set of bedrooms. This is where the guys were staying for the week. So they had a keyboard and pulpit and an overhead projector and a bunch of chairs set up for the service. Ron gave introductions and announcements but had a member of the church, Petr, translate. And yes, I spelled that correctly! Petr is Lydia's husband, who hosts the prayer meetings every week. He speaks about five different languages. We began by singing some songs, all in Czech of course. But I recognized the melody and realized they were very familiar songs just in another language. I tried really hard to sing along and pronounce things the best I could and I got fairly good at one song in particular. Of course we sang it several times but I was getting the hang of it. Czech words are so hard to pronounce because of the marks above them, and the lack of vowels. It was really cool though listening to how they worshiped God in their language and to think about how God created so many different languages and dialects and understands them all. Announcements followed and then some more songs and Ron had asked one of the Liberty students to share his testimony. It was very encouraging to listen to and appropriate for the people there. Before turning to God, he had a past filled with drugs, alcohol, and bad influences. After coming to know the Lord, he faithfully gave up all the destructive behavior and ultimately ended up giving up his old friends as well. He soon found himself with no Christian friends, yet stayed true and believed that God would bring them in His time. I believe it was very encouraging to a group of people who face that every single day of their lives. Less than 2% of the population are actually believers and that statistic could even be outdated for today. I can't even imagine living in a country where Christianity is not the norm - it is not even the minority. It is actually unknown to most people, yet this small body of believers continue to stand strong and truly rely on each other.
The rest of the service went great. Ron had asked another Liberty student to preach the message and seeing as how it was a week before Easter, he decided to speak about the story of the palm branch and Jesus riding into town on a donkey and colt. He used this story to explain that we need to be the colt and take Jesus everywhere we go, as in work and school and even our own homes. It was a really neat message and to see what a young college student got out of that story was really encouraging. These kids have really amazed me since they have been here - they are really solid! Then, after every service they have a "coffee time" for the members of the church so that they can fellowship with each other instead of leaving right away. This is a great time for the Czech people to get encouraged and to spend a little more time in a positive atmosphere. This gave me a lot of time to meet the members and try to work on my cesky a little.
After coffee time, we were all going to split up and eat lunch with several different families. Jen and I were eating with our land lords and two of the Liberty girls, the leader of the group, and the Barnes daughter Tori. We were going to make the dessert and a salad and Yada and Olga were making an authentic Czech dinner. We prepared our food and set the table and patiently waited for our guests to arrive.
They came up a little after two and we made all the introductions. They showed us what they had brought and it looked and smelled delicious. This was going to be my first experience with authentic Czech food as well, so I was pretty excited. Yada explained that we were havingdumplings, beef, and a mushroom sauce. Normally, the favorite is pork but today they did beef. Olga also made potato pancakes.
The meal was delicious! We stuffed ourselves with food and good company. It was so neat to talk to Yada and Olga; they know a little English but enough for us to have a good conversation. They actually own a rafting business where people can raft down a river that runs right behind the Barnes house. They also gave us a lot of insight on and history on Czech and the economy and all that stuff that you talk about when you have never been to a country before. It was really neat and Yada agreed that if he would teach me some Czech words, then I would teach him some English. It's interesting to see how badly they want to learn that language. I will actually be working with their daughter while I am here to help with her English. After lunch we wanted to play "Spoons" with them; they know how to play and are actually pretty competitive. It was hilarious watching us all try to pass cards and grab for spoons before anyone else! Luckily, no one lost any fingers considering my nails are pretty long but we did have a great time. We ate so much at lunch that we did not want to move - I was definitely feeling a Sunday afternoon nap coming on. But we had other things to do.We had to go to Krumlov because we were beginning our English classes tonight at the elementary school. The vans came and picked us up and we drove the 20 minutes to Cesky Krumlov. The school is right next door to the Open Door Club, which is a room that they use for outreach in the community. We were holding classes for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced English students, which is what we had passed out fliers for the previous day. We were unsure of the response that we would get but we were all hopeful that we would have a good turn-out and that the Liberty students would be able to teach the lessons they had prepared. Once we entered the school, we had to take our shoes off. As is the custom in all the homes, you also do not wear your outside shoes in the school buildings. So you bring an extra pair of shoes or slippers, which is what most of us did. Since it was at night though, it was acceptable for some of us to just wear our socks. We opened up the classrooms and Ron gave us a rundown of what to do and expect. I was just going to sit in the Beginner class and observe; the girl that was coming to this class would be the girl that I would work with for the next six weeks. The classes started at six, and at first we didn't think anyone would come. But at about 6:15, Yada (our landlord) and his daughter Lita showed up. Yada takes the Intermediate class, while Lita was in our Beginner classes. There were also a couple of other students in the Intermediate class, including a local partner of Ron's who really wants to learn English. The class was really interesting and the girls did a great job! Lita was so excited to be learning English and even had notes from a previous class she had taken. She is very bright and wants so badly to be able to communicate with the Barnes family. Class goes for 45min, then we have a short "Big Group" time in which Ron shares an encouraging word and we sing some songs. After that, we have another 45min of class. Ron comes up with crazy songs for us to sing like "Whadaleeotcha" and "Hi, My Name is Joe." Of course, he also follows up "Thy don't Word" to encourage the students who are most likely not believers. I have never taught or even sat through an actual English class so it was really interesting. You really can start anywhere in the language because they don't understand any of the concepts; of course, it is also hard to communicate because they don't understand much of what you say. But the class went great and it gave me an idea of where to go with her lessons when they left and gave the girls an idea of how to construct the rest of the classes.
Monday:Today was one of my favorite days so far here in the Czech. The local elementary school, the one that we are using for English classes, had invited Ron's ministry to come into the school and teach the kids about the real Easter. This was an amazing breakthrough because it would make a great contact for their ministry and the fact that an atheist region would allow a religious group to come in and talk about, well, religion was pretty miraculous. Stephanie, from Liberty, was going to teach two classes this morning and Ron took a few of the other girls with them to help out and observe. Luckily, I was able to go as well and I am so thankful that I did.
The kids' English teacher came in with each class; we had a 7th grade and an 8th grade class. Stephanie did a great job by playing a game with them to teach them some facts about America. They all got involved and actually were pretty up to speed on their American culture. She told them them about Easter and how it differed from the traditions and beliefs here in Czech. There was maybe one kid in the first class who had even heard of Jesus or the concept of going to church on Easter. The best part came after Stephanie finished up with her lesson and we had time left over. Ron split up the kids into groups of two and three and then gave each of the Americans a group of kids to talk with. We asked them questions and they did their best to talk to us in English and even ask us some questions. We did this for both classes and I loved it! My heart is with kids and working with them and communicating with them and even though these kids were older, it was such a blessing to be able to talk with them. They acted like typical middle-schoolers: there was the class clown, the quiet type, the girls who were always the "pretty ones," the eccentrics, the jocks. The only difference was that they spoke another language. They were a tad overwhelming all together but once we sat down one on one with them, it was so amazing. These kids were older than I was used to working with and they barely spoke English, but I got past all that and just talked. The quiet ones spoke up, the ones who knew very little English tried their hardest to speak, and they even helped each other understand us by translating. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. These kids didn't care that we couldn't really understand each other or that they probably knew more about our country than we knew about theirs. They opened up to us and really showed an interest in us. It is so strange to see how, even in a very stable country, the citizens are still fascinated by America and wanted to know more about it. Never in America would we be asked if we wanted to go to Czech and what we wanted to see when we got there. It was just so neat to talk with these kids and to even learn from them.
As if I hadn't already had an incredible day, it was time for us to see the city! About twenty minutes from where I live is a little town called Ceske Krumlov, a beautiful old-style town that has become a tourist spot for everyone from locals to people all over the world. We spent the rest of the afternoon here, shopping and sight seeing. We walked down cobblestone streets no bigger than one lane. Little shops lined each side, each one a different bright color and offering everything from garnet jewelry to little wooden puppets. We saw castles and statues and a beautiful river ran right through it all. It was amazing and can really only be justified in pictures. Enjoy!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Give Me Liberty!
Yesterday the group of 13 Liberty University students dragged themselves through our doors after a very long trek from the "Lover's State." We were all very excited for them to arrive, especially Ron and Brenda's three kids. I was just ready to get going with some projects outside the house. Ron had a full week planned for the students, from teaching English classes to providing manual labor, and this was also going to be my introduction to the area and to the ministry. Seeing as how I am the dutiful assistant in America as well as here in Czech, I have been doing office work for Ron since I arrived. And as much as I love sitting at a computer all day, I was welcoming the break for a few days. However, the week has not been void of adventures and lessons in Czech.
Town Hall, in the Square..............................Cool Statue, in the Square
On Saturday, we drove into Cesky Krumlov to pass out fliers at an apartment complex in order to spread the word about the English classes that are being taught by the college students this week. This was a really neat experience and we were able to disperse all our fliers. Misa and Milan, locals who work with Ron, were at the Open Door Club to instruct us. We walked through the area and greeted everyone with "Dobre den" (Good day) and handed them the flier. I was not sure how the receptions would be because Czechs are very closed off and not open to stranger interaction. But every person we came in contact with greeted us and receptively took our offering. It has been discovered through experience that fliers is not the most effective way to acquire students for the classes, but rather word-of-mouth. However, they try to advertise any way they can. The girls did a great job and we even stuck fliers in mailboxes and on windshields.
After this we met the rest of the group and drove an hour and a half to Pelhimov, to work at the Seminary that Ron has helped to start. We also took two local girls that Jen has been discipling, Eva and Jitka, in our car so I got a chance to talk with them. Their English is very good and they are two very sweet and strong women. They have no Christian friends because it is so uncommon here to know Christ but they are very positive and encouraging. After a lunch of sandwiches, Ron split the kids and sent half of them into town and put the other half to work in the yard. After a while, they all piled back into the school and decided they wanted to do a skit. I heard them talking about it, and having performed it many times myself, I jumped at the chance to "act out!" If anyone knows what "Doctor's Office" is then you will understand the hilarity that ensued. Let's just say it is about a very contagious and odd series of patients, one poor guy who caught everything, and a pregnancy scare! For my part, I had a fever - dance fever!
Ron spent some time the students after that in worship, while Brenda, Jen, Jitka, and I began to prepare pizzas. That's right, I can now also make homemade pizza! Amazing, I know. I being "domesticated." I was actually a little surprised at the amount of time I have spent in the kitchen. Honestly, I was even a little discouraged. I really thought that coming here on my own I would be able to step out and do more and I understand that things are different because of the week. But I expected to do more things with the group, even though I would be here for a longer amount of time. I was even a little offended - I came all the way from the States to cook for everyone. I mean, don't they know who I am at home? But God really smacked on the head with that attitude. I caught the end of Ron's message to the kids and God spoke right to me through Him. I am here to help the Barnes family in any way I can and if that means cooking up food or anything else they ask, I have to keep the right heart attitude. I just began praying that I would spend my time here focusing on doing everything for the glory of God, no matter what the task. Even if I never helped or impacted one Czech person while I am here, which I certainly hope I do, I will do my best to help the Barnes which will in turn help the locals. Even if I have to be behind the scenes I am willing to be a stage hand for the sake of Christ. God doesn't work to meet our expectations and thank goodness He does not. How limited we would make things! He has much great plans than we could ever construct and one day we will see the fruits of our labor, whether cooking pizza or ministering to a foreigner.
And hey, now I can cook! Everyone always says the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!
A wedding at Town Ha
ll!....................Proof that I made homemade pizza!
Liberty kids chowin down!.......................Praise and worship with Liberty
"Holy pile of shoes!"...............................My roommate, Jen, and me.....
and our apartment (we live upstairs)
- Here are a few highlights:
- I went with Ron and Brenda to the train station to drop off a girl visiting them on a survey trip. I learned how to get around the station and read the signs. This is a pretty popular mode of transportation since you can go all over Eastern Europe on the rail.
- We then visited the Square in Cesky Krumlov, where we had coffee and I was able to get minutes on my cell phone (local cell phone - not good for calling America. I learned that lesson the hard way) and pull some krowns out of the ATM. It's pretty cool walking around with several bills that say 2000. It doesn't last long though. (Current conversion rate - 16kr = $1
Town Hall, in the Square..............................Cool Statue, in the Square- I had my first Czech grocery shopping experience. It went well, since I was with my roommate. There are a few recognizable foods (Cheerios, Lays chips) but most everything is local. It is also more expensive and smaller in size. The big store to go to here is Tesco, which is the equivalent of Wal-Mart. Only I think Tesco beats out Wal-Mart because right next to the bakery you can buy a Vespa.
- In the past week, I have learned how to make homemade spaghetti sauce and homemade lasagna. And again, no fatalities from the cooking - well except for a burnt thumb (mine). You know what that means? Watch out America - Amy's got the whole package!!
- Ok, the coolest thing I've been able to do in the past couple of days is doing a devotional with their 8-yr old daughter Sophie. I brought some books from the states, one of which is the exact book she was doing with her mom before she lost it. So everyday I get to sit down with Sophie and help her understand some basic Biblical truths. It really is amazing just how much kids know and understand. She was very attentive and excited to spend that time with me, which was very encouraging.
On Saturday, we drove into Cesky Krumlov to pass out fliers at an apartment complex in order to spread the word about the English classes that are being taught by the college students this week. This was a really neat experience and we were able to disperse all our fliers. Misa and Milan, locals who work with Ron, were at the Open Door Club to instruct us. We walked through the area and greeted everyone with "Dobre den" (Good day) and handed them the flier. I was not sure how the receptions would be because Czechs are very closed off and not open to stranger interaction. But every person we came in contact with greeted us and receptively took our offering. It has been discovered through experience that fliers is not the most effective way to acquire students for the classes, but rather word-of-mouth. However, they try to advertise any way they can. The girls did a great job and we even stuck fliers in mailboxes and on windshields.
After this we met the rest of the group and drove an hour and a half to Pelhimov, to work at the Seminary that Ron has helped to start. We also took two local girls that Jen has been discipling, Eva and Jitka, in our car so I got a chance to talk with them. Their English is very good and they are two very sweet and strong women. They have no Christian friends because it is so uncommon here to know Christ but they are very positive and encouraging. After a lunch of sandwiches, Ron split the kids and sent half of them into town and put the other half to work in the yard. After a while, they all piled back into the school and decided they wanted to do a skit. I heard them talking about it, and having performed it many times myself, I jumped at the chance to "act out!" If anyone knows what "Doctor's Office" is then you will understand the hilarity that ensued. Let's just say it is about a very contagious and odd series of patients, one poor guy who caught everything, and a pregnancy scare! For my part, I had a fever - dance fever!
Ron spent some time the students after that in worship, while Brenda, Jen, Jitka, and I began to prepare pizzas. That's right, I can now also make homemade pizza! Amazing, I know. I being "domesticated." I was actually a little surprised at the amount of time I have spent in the kitchen. Honestly, I was even a little discouraged. I really thought that coming here on my own I would be able to step out and do more and I understand that things are different because of the week. But I expected to do more things with the group, even though I would be here for a longer amount of time. I was even a little offended - I came all the way from the States to cook for everyone. I mean, don't they know who I am at home? But God really smacked on the head with that attitude. I caught the end of Ron's message to the kids and God spoke right to me through Him. I am here to help the Barnes family in any way I can and if that means cooking up food or anything else they ask, I have to keep the right heart attitude. I just began praying that I would spend my time here focusing on doing everything for the glory of God, no matter what the task. Even if I never helped or impacted one Czech person while I am here, which I certainly hope I do, I will do my best to help the Barnes which will in turn help the locals. Even if I have to be behind the scenes I am willing to be a stage hand for the sake of Christ. God doesn't work to meet our expectations and thank goodness He does not. How limited we would make things! He has much great plans than we could ever construct and one day we will see the fruits of our labor, whether cooking pizza or ministering to a foreigner.And hey, now I can cook! Everyone always says the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!
A wedding at Town Ha
ll!....................Proof that I made homemade pizza!
Liberty kids chowin down!.......................Praise and worship with Liberty
"Holy pile of shoes!"...............................My roommate, Jen, and me.....
and our apartment (we live upstairs)
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