je tady zima. :-)

Ahoj,

Well, winter has now arrived to the Czech Republic. :-) It snowed in Moravia during last week and I was there this weekend and got to experience it for myself! And it also snowed a little in Prague and its quite cold here.

Hmm so what's been going on the past couple of weeks? A LOT of school! Not so fun... a lot of essay writing, reading, and studying for my biggest (well only real) test coming up a week from Wednesday. Please pray for me for this test and the essay that is also for this class, it is a difficult class and I need to pass! :-/

Last week i went to Zoo Praha so that was fun. :-) We didnt even get to see all of it because it is SO big! And it was cold and it closes earlier in the winter since its now getting dark before 5 PM (we are a bit farther north so its darker even earlier than in CO!). Anyway it was really interesting, a bit different than in the US. You are closer to the animals here in some cases. There are some giant cages you enter and basically you are surrounded by birds, for instance. Not the small ones like in the US where its warm and indoor and like a jungle, but there is one where its outside and the birds are large African birds and we watched two of them chew up and swallow some mice only a few meters away! it was so cool. :-)

Last Monday was also "17 November"... I call this "Revolution Day" because it was November 17th, 1989 that the Velvet Revolution began in Prague which liberated this nation from communism, separated Czech and Slovakia and madeit what we know today. :-) You should research this day in Czech history... it is one of the most exciting moments in my opinion plus its kind of like a more-peaceful version of the end of "Return of the Jedi". :-D I know, silly, but thats the kind of spirit I feel when I read the stories, listen to my Czech friends talk about their parents' (or their own) experience, and see the pictures and videos.

Everywhere are Christmas decorations now so its easy to "get in the spirit", though I know that for most people here Christmas isnt about Christ and that makes me sad despite the lovely twinkling decorations in the malls and businesses. I pray that the Savior for whom this holiday is supposed to be celebrated will save this small but awesome country and that a revolution will sweep in and people will know the truth and the truth will set them free. :-)

This past weekend I had the blessing of participating in the Maják (Lighthouse) Church English weekend in Malenovice, a small town in Eastern Moravia. The best part was that it snowed like crazy. :-) There was probably 4-6 inches up where the KAM (Christian Youth Academy) hotel is. It was so beautiful, and quite fitting since the weekend theme was "A Trip to Canada". :-) There were probably 45 people, including the few non-Czechs. I was one of 4 Americans here--the other 3 are all married to Czech men and women and are of various ages. These were wonderful couples to meet and they were such a blessing this weekend. :-) Those of you at MVC may know about Brad and Lucie Kaspar, and I finally had the chance to meet them. I am glad they live in Vsetín now so I will see them more often, they are just great. I dont know Maják very well so I am unsure who of the guests were members and who were invited friends and family. But the people were great, and of all ages. It is SO awesome how so many middle-aged Czechs are taking the time to learn a new language! The oldest person there is almost 60. :-) I spent most of my time with 2 teenage girls, Eva (Eh-va not like Iva :-) ), who I saw baptized in September (so cool to see her growing in Jesus :-) ) and a girl named Klára who is from a small village west of Vsetín. I think this girl wasnt a Christian. But I enjoyed practicing English with them and hopefully being a light. i have their emails so keeping in touch will be easy I hope. It solidified my feeling that I am at this time best equipped to work with teenagers and young adults. Anyway, we all had a great time practicing English (I was helping to lead a conversation group--there were 5 rotating groups), learning about Canada, and just hanging out together enjoying the lovely winter weather. We even had homemade bagels, which Lenka (Marta's sister for those who know her, and a member of Lighthouse) made Friday night. :-) On Saturday night Brad Kaspar shared the Gospel, using marriage as a sort of synonym and a means of driving the topic toward that which matters most. He wasnt pushy at all, which is necessary with Czech people most of the time, and no one left the room or acted angry. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the weekend, they seemed to! Please pray that any seeds that may have been planted through sharing the Gospel will be watered through relationships built on the weekend and outside of it. I certainly will be doing my part to the best of my ability...

My favorite thing, is that there was a lady at the weekend who I recognized only when she stated her profession... she sells the train tickets at the Vsetín train station. :-) I remember she was there once when we bought our tickets, so now when I see her I can say hello and use her name. :-) Really happy about that.

Also, today I accepted the job offer to work at EdCentre in Vsetín. :-) http://www.edcentre.cz/ So now I need some prayer because, for the sake of arriving to CZ on time next year (due to a difficult visa process) I need to do some things in the next 3 weeks ASAP so that EdCentre can apply for my work permit, and then I can apply for the visa 60-90 days after that. But I am so blessed to have a job! I am really excited for the opportunities this will bring in so many ways. :-)

Also, i could use prayer for my student teaching... I start in 6 weeks and I STILL have not received official confirmation of it! I will be sending some emails this week but please pray...

God is so good and is challenging me and teaching me many things right now...please pray that as He breaks me and my sin and pride that I will grow in Him and be a woman after His own heart. It is so hard sometimes in the midst of very difficult circumstances. I am thankful that I am never alone since He is with me and I have prayer support around the world. :-)

See you all in about 3.5 weeks... crazy.

PS: Sorry I have failed at putting up pictures, I really promise to do it tonight!!! please go see them! the link is in the email I sent.

měla jsem zaneprazdněná...

Ahoj,

Well I have been very busy the past 3 weeks to say the least. So I apologize for not updating much lately! I will post new photos on my photobucket album (Praha Fall 08) hopefully this evening before bed, if not surely tomorrow morning (while most of you sleep :-) ). I won't attempt to write everything that has happened in 3 weeks here but will tell you some highlights. :-)

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go with my buddy, Lucie, to her hometown of České Budějovice (Chesk-eh Bud-yeh-yo-veet-seh). this is about a 2 hour bus ride south of Prague. Lucie and her boyfriend, Zdeněk, took me the afternoon of our arrival to Český Krumlov, a small but very unique and historic town about 30 minutes away from České Budějovice. This town is a UNESCO site, which says a lot, and it is incredibly beautiful with a lot of interesting history and great preservation. It reminds me somewhat of Prague in its architecture, because you can see many different periods represented in just the castle itself. Enjoy the photos on photobucket. :-) Lucie also showed me parts of České Budějovice like the city centre and its 13th century "black tower" and the Vltava river (this river goes also through Český Krumlov and Praha!) and a beautiful castle in a nearby village called Hluboká (nad Vltavou, or above the Vltava River). This castle seriously looks like something out of a fairy tale and I love it. :-) Many Czech celebrities have their weddings there. It was particularly nice in the fall colors everywhere. I enjoyed hanging out with Lucie, Zdeněk, Lucie's mom, and their cocker spaniel Kím. :-) We watched a lot of Czech TV (man that helps you learn to listen...) and even played Czech scrabble which was REALLY hard! But I want to try it again anyway. :-)

School has picked up a lot lately too, and all of a sudden I find I actually have work to do! The professors were sketchy about our papers for a few weeks since it was early in the semester but now I have become incredibly busy because I have 3 papers due within the next 5 weeks! The first in only 2 weeks from today! Ahhh! So I will be working a lot in my evenings now. :-) It is good for me. But if I have a difficult updating much for the remainder of the semester please forgive me. I will post when I can and add additional things upon my return to Colorado.

For those of you interested in what happens to me next, I have a semester of student teaching in Colorado Springs before me. Scary but I am getting a little excited about it because I think I will learn a lot and it will be a great and fun experience. Then... :-) I hope to take a TEFL course in Colorado and enjoy the first part of summer with family and friends. In July I hope to come back to Czech... indefinitely. :-) I interviewed a few weeks ago for a job teaching English in Vsetín, a small city in South Moravia with surroundings that remind me of Colorado in their beauty (sans the snow-capped mountains. :-( gotta go south or west for those...). I have been officially offered that job and its highly probable that I will accept it. I interviewed for another position in Brno this week so I am praying about these options before making a final decision. Please join me in praying, and especially about the visa! Visas for Americans to come and work here are very tedious, so for this school (http://www.edcentre.cz/) to hire me says they are willing to take a time-and financial-risk. I hope to have this decision made by the beginning of December. I am soo excited though either way! The Lord is truly providing some doors that I did not expect at all. :-) This open door to return helps motivate me to truly get involved more here now that I can say I am returning almost for sure.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention about the trip to Karlštejn. :-) Thats a really cool castle as well, its worth the 40 minute train ride from Praha Main train station. I was a bit disappointed in some ways though. In my history class we learned a lot about this castle and the way it is designed and special places inside. The only guided tour, which we went on, does not go to the very best places. :-( I am sure this is more for security, but buying a postcard of the coolest room that you didnt even get to see is a bit disappointing. But i met some really nice people on this trip and had a good time with my North American friends Judy and Sarah. It was a pretty chilly day and when we arrived the castle was enshrouded in mist, which revealed it periodically. :-) That was awesome. This is the kind of experience which makes history interesting for me, when its alive, all around you, and right under your feet. :-)

No other real news right now... please pray for my return this December, not only is it going to be a bit difficult to say goodbye to CZ again (even knowing I will return soon more than likely...) there are also some details about my return that are somewhat problematic right now. I will not elaborate but please just pray that God would take care of these things in the way He sees best. That I will trust in Him to take care of me and whats best for me and His will despite how circumstances may appear. I have learned that circumstances can be quite different than they seem.

Pray for this beautiful country and its people... such a tumultuous past in regards to the presence of Christianity (i intentionally say Christianity rather than Christ)... people in need of a Savior just as anywhere else in the world but with a past more complicated in this regard than many places worldwide.

Thanks so much for your prayers and emails, they mean the world to me. Looking forward to seeing you all again for the holidays!