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.
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. :-)
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...
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.
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