Worth It?

I was listening to a message recently and the speaker was talking about his experience in his early ministry when he talked to his mentor about his disappointment in his apparent ineffectiveness in starting a church. 

The speaker was frustrated because he wasn’t seeing the results he had expected or hoped for when he had started his endeavor. Things were going much slower then he had anticipated.

His mentor's response was, “Well, would this have all been worth it if only 10,000 people’s lives were changed?” His reply was “Yes of course it would have all been worth it, I would have been satisfied with 1,000 people having been impacted, but I don’t see anyone impacted at all."

His mentor then responded, “Okay, would it have been worth it if 100 people would have been changed?" He replied again, “Yes I would be happy with 10 people but I don’t even see that many lives impacted by my ministry; it seems nobody has been affected.” 

His mentor responded again, “Would it have been worth it if one person had been impacted by your time spent doing this ministry?" “Yes I’d even be happy knowing one person's life had been changed forever."His mentor’s final response was, “What if that one person was you?” 

Mikulov, CZ

This story in many ways is a perfect description of our time overseas. I have no doubt that we’ve planted seeds of truth but we don’t often get to see the fruit and we’ve learned to be okay with that. However, OUR lives have changed in a way that we couldn’t have imagined. Without a doubt, YES IT HAS BEEN WORTH IT. 

Lednice Chateau

Here are a few things that we have learned or relearned along the way:

1. In many ways we Westernize the Bible without realizing it. Jesus wasn’t American! Growing up in a culture that often tells you that everything/everyone revolves around you can be dangerous when applied to God’s Word. We often read things into the Bible based on our background or culture that aren’t really there. Being aware of this will allow us to approach God’s Word through His eyes, not our experiences. Everything isn’t about my purposes and me; it’s about God and His purposes. Not only for my life, but also (more importantly) for the world as a whole. 

2. Circumstances don’t determine God’s goodness. We need to interpret our circumstances based on God’s goodness and not the other way around. This goes back to “It's not about me." God’s ultimate plan in all of creation is more important than my right now plans, or the circumstances in my small part of the eternal timeline. 

3. Motivation is a major factor to evaluate in nearly everything we do. Take the above story for example. If I am motivated only by making a visible “difference” in other's lives then one of two things is likely to happen: a. I will get so discouraged by the lack of evidence that I will give up in a very short time frame or b. I will be filled with so much pride to see how much I’ve accomplished on my own that I will disregard God completely. 

Brno, CZ

4. This leads into the next truth: God doesn’t need me. God was at work in my location long before I arrived and He will continue long after I leave. It isn’t me, or bust, for God. In fact, when I behave as though it is my story/world I often hurt more than help the situation. He doesn’t need my involvement…but he wants it. He invites me to join His work...not the other way around. 

5. If you are not constantly/intentionally pursuing truth you will become distracted and believe lies. Satan is constantly at work telling us that our story is the most important thing and this shows up in a variety of ways: depression, selfishness, apathy, unforgiveness, inner strife, worry, feelings of inadequacy, pride, etc.This is why consistently surrounding yourself with truth in a variety of ways, not just one, is vital. This includes personal Bible study, group Bible Study, regular church attendance, etc.  

6. This isn’t my home. Regardless of where I live for the rest of my earthly life, a small part of me will always feel out of place. This used to bother me. After living in a variety of places, I now embrace this feeling because I realize in a much more real way than ever before, this world is not my home, heaven is, and therefore I shouldn’t feel comfortable all the time. I think this is why we often have this inner battle. There is this unspoken and often unrecognized tension that is going on with the right now vs. the eternal. 

Prague, CZ

We’ve met some amazing people throughout our time overseas and we’ve had the privilege of seeing some absolutely stunning places, but our most cherished experiences have surrounded encountering our Savior in a new and rich way. He is always worth it. 

Prague, CZ

A Hope Deferred

A Hope Deferred

There is this really powerful bible verse tucked away in Proverbs. It is found in chapter 13, verse 12. “A hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” I really think that I have been caught in the middle of that all this year. 

When we came to Prague last August, we were certain that it was for good. Or, for an extended period of time anyway.  But, as we know, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Awry doesn’t really begin to cover it. Misinformation, bait and switches, poor health, and toxic work environments come a little closer. 

So, for now our hope is deferred and our hearts are sick. We are leaving Prague this Friday and have a rather large question mark hanging out there in front of us. It has caused me to question many things. It has caused us pain, frustration and even great sadness. 

But there is beauty in all of this. The beauty is that there is a second part to that verse. “A longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” The one thing that never changed in all of our circumstances is God’s great love for us. 

We long to serve God and others. We want to make people’s lives better. We want many people to come to faith. That is the tree of life that we working towards. Maybe we will see this fulfilled while we are living, but maybe that longing will only be fulfilled when we see God face to face in eternity. 

Maybe you’re reading this and you think faith is silly or a joke. Well, I am not going to try to talk you in to it. The last time I talked a person into faith, he walked away as soon as I left. So I will not be persuading you to believe through his post. But maybe I will convince you to think about what you believe and why you believe it. I am not responsible to save anyone’s soul. I am only responsible to tell them that God loves them and wants them to know that. That is what this post is for. God loves you. He died for you. He wants a relationship with you. 

I am so interested to see how exactly God will fulfill our longing for him. We are kind of downcast right now, but not defeated. I am so perplexed right now, but not in despair. I believe that Jesus Christ has a plan for my life. Loving and serving him is my purpose. I don’t always live like that, and that makes me sad. But even in my failings he is present and loves me. 

That, in and of itself, is a tree of life. 

What We Miss About the USA

Last week we looked at some things we love about Europe. This week we take a look at some of the things we miss about the good ole US of A:

You Don't Know Until You Know 

Life overseas can be quite the adventure. Trying new foods, creating new routines, and meeting new people can be a lot of fun. But often when the shine wears off and the mundane necessities of the everyday set in, it can remind us of what we miss about home. When this happens even simple things that aren’t even that big a deal sound heavenly and we suddenly become incredibly thankful for the simple things in life. Here are some examples that we’ve experienced from our time in Europe: 

Free Bathrooms: We have literally planned our errands and nights out on the town around the availability of a free bathroom somewhere in the city. A visit to the bathroom around town can set you back anywhere from about 25 cents to a dollar. Most stores here don’t even have public bathrooms unless you are at a large mall. 

One Stop Shopping: You don’t really realize how convenient a Target or Walmart is until you don’t have one. Gone are the days of picking up supplies for a meal, grabbing a t-shirt, and heading to the medicine aisle all in the same store. Pharmacies here are completely separate stores and that’s where you have to go to get anything related to your health, including vitamins. 

Heart Language: It’s strange because you really never have to think much about the language you speak when everyone around you speaks it. The interesting thing is that when things are flipped and you don’t hear your native language very often then it becomes a very special moment when you do. It’s hard to explain but there’s something incredibly special about speaking to someone in his or her native “heart” language that brings such joy. 

Comforters: The popular bed cover here is a duvet. In fact, I haven’t seen a comforter or quilt sold anywhere… maybe I’ve missed that store. For those that don’t know, duvets come in plain white and are then stuffed into some kind of cover. It can be quite the challenge to keep the inside duvet at the same length as the cover. 

Top Sheet: If the lack of comforters wasn’t surprising, the lack of top sheets surely is. Because duvets are common practice there are no top sheets sold anywhere. Instead the bed consists of the duvet and the fitted sheet. I mean, I understand the idea behind it; it’s much easier to only wash a duvet cover than a comforter and eliminate an additional sheet, but you're also eliminating the comfort. 

Wash Cloths: That’s right, washcloths. The only washcloth I’ve ever seen or bought here is kind of like a mitten. Maybe I’m missing something on this one……. 

.Com: Once again something you never consider until you’re outside the U.S. and are trying to search for something on the web. Each country has it’s own “.com” so where we live it’s “.cz”. So if the same store exists in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, it is necessary to put that specific country's online tag in order to find it. Also, certain websites are not accessible (Hulu) through traditional means, and others (Netflix) contain completely different content. 

Free Refills and Water: Now, I will say that the mall here is now offering free refills at certain fast food chains in the food court. For the most part though, if you want a refill, you will have to pay full price for another drink. Also, I have heard that it is possible to get tap water for free at certain restaurants but usually you have to pay for water. It is often one of the more pricy drinks on the menu. 

Dryer: Again, some people have these, but it isn’t common and they can be quite expensive. The common practice here is to line-dry clothes after washing them which means one has to strategically wash clothes a little at a time unless you want clothes hanging all over the apartment. Oh how I miss the warmth and softness of a freshly dried load of laundry. Our towels are quite crisp line drying. 

What We Love About CZ (and Europe)

Living in a foreign country can be challenging at times. You are constantly learning new things and often feel out of place. However, if you are open to new adventures, you get to meet amazing people and obtain invaluable life experiences that might not happen in your country of origin. Here are a few things we love about this area of the world: 

Slower Pace of Life: There are many things that contribute to the slower pace of life, sometimes it’s necessity and sometimes it’s choice. For example, we don’t have a car here so we use public transportation (metro, trams, and buses). This means that we are at the mercy of their schedule. At first, it can be an adjustment but it can also be very freeing to realize that only so many things can be accomplished in one day and therefore over-scheduling is futile. Getting groceries for the week or even a few days can be the accomplishment of the day and that’s just fine. 

When you make plans to meet someone for dinner, coffee, or to simply hang out, the expectation here is much different than is often the case in the states. We don’t do dinner reservations very often here, but when we do they are offered in 3-hour increments. There is no rush to leave the table; servers aren’t circling the table, even when no reservation has been made. 

Simple Living: I never really realized how much more stressful it can be to own more stuff until I sold or donated a good deal of stuff the first time we came to Prague. More clothes means more outfits to choose from and more time spent picking “the right” outfit. Let’s be honest, we tend to migrate toward the same pair of jeans or t-shirt anyway so why have eight others that we don’t even use? I don’t consider myself a minimalist exactly, but a more streamlined closet certainly makes an already complicated life that much simpler. 

Fresh bread and cheese: Basically every grocery store here has a fresh bread and cheese section. The selection of breads is amazing, from baguettes to pastries. Not only is the selection great but the prices are too. We’ve gotten a dozen or so breadsticks for about a dollar. The same chocolate pastry sold at Panera Bread for around $3.00 can be found here for less than $1.00, which leads to the next category….

Cheaper Prices: Now, I do want to emphasize that in general we do buy way less here since we use public transport instead of a car and because we only have so much space in our refrigerator. However, even though we buy less in any given trip to the grocery store we don’t really skimp on the things that we do buy, and we find that we often spend far less here than we would in the U.S.  

Architecture and Walk-Friendly Cities: It’s hard to believe that some of these structures were built in the 1300’s. One of my favorite markets has been up and running since 1232! Not to mention the fact that Prague is one of the most beautiful places in the world; seriously check out some pictures. Also, I love that we can walk to various places such as grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, and public transit with relative ease. 

Cheap, Varied, and Reliable Public Transportation: We can travel to other countries often for cheaper than we could travel within our own state in the U.S. For example, we once took a train to Hungary for approximately $50 round trip. Another time we flew to Venice and returned from Milan for approximately $150 round trip, for both of us!! Now you know why we’ve had the privilege to travel so much!

We take buses, trams, and the metro daily and they are all exceptionally clean. I haven’t traveled as much via public transit in the U.S. but I can’t imagine it would be nearly as clean. 

Work/Life Balance: People are expected to take vacations here. It’s almost strange if you don’t. In fact, one new company just launched this year without offering vacation days because they are unlimited! People love and value the outdoors so much that students will often ask to have class outside once Spring hits, so it’s not surprising that many families have summer cottages in the countryside. 

You are expected to stay home when you are sick, regardless of the number of days it takes to get better. Sick doesn’t necessarily mean the flu or something life threatening as is often the expectation in the U.S. Students and members of the work force often miss due to a cold. A doctor’s note may be requested, depending on the number of days absent, but that is easily obtained. 

There are certainly things we do not like about living here, but why dwell on negative things? A recent sermon series has encouraged us to count our blessings and to be grateful for what we have, and these things we’ve listed are certainly some of the wonderful things Europe has to offer. 

Next time....what we miss about the U.S. 

Who am I the Most?

It seems that everyone is consumed with making his or her identity/opinion known. From social justice platforms and political stances to movie reviews, people are insisting on being heard. Where are we as Christians supposed to be in all of this? What are people hearing from us? What/Who should we be in response?

 This begs the question that I have been pondering for a while now. Who are we the most? Who should we be the most? Are we mostly about being a certain race, gender, or political party Monday through Saturday? Are we mostly the social justice advocate speaking out for or against a certain issue? Are we more about winning an argument or making a point than being Christ-like? Social media is filled with Christians and non-Christians alike fighting to be heard, but who is listening? More importantly, what’s worth hearing? Do we simply want to be agreed with or liked? What is our motivation? 

Don’t get me wrong, I think having an opinion on these issues is important and there’s nothing wrong with sharing it. But as Christians, when we are more of something, anything than we are a follower of Christ (as revealed through how we spend most of our time, and what we focus on the most) then we really can’t be distinguished from non-Christians. If we can’t be distinguished, then what is the point of calling ourselves Christians?

God challenges us throughout Scripture to become more like Christ. Christ certainly addressed social issues such as the woman at the well in John 4. Jews and Samaritans didn’t interact at that time. Jesus caused outrage when he joined tax collectors, who were part of one of the most hated of people groups, in Luke 19 and Matthew 9. Even when the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus by mincing words regarding authority in Matthew 22, Jesus replied by acknowledging the authority established by both the government and God. I Peter 2:13-25 is particularly interesting because Nero, a cruel man and the one who would eventually kill Peter, was in power during the time it was written, yet Peter specifically talks about submitting to human authority.  

More than anything else, Jesus was all about addressing people’s spiritual condition. Going back to the woman at the well, Jesus wasn’t there simply to break social boundaries or to make some kind of political statement. He was there to speak to the woman about a need greater than water, and a problem far more destructive than a division between people groups. He was there to address her need for a relationship with God. 

So, I’m challenging myself and all Christians, the next time you’re tempted to join a heated argument, take a hard line stance, or respond to a platform presented on social media, before you do, ask yourself…who am I the most? In the words of my pastor this Sunday, choose God’s heart over your head. 

A Change of Perspective

A little boy changed my perspective today. 

We were at church, waiting for the offering plates to be passed around. I looked over my shoulder to see if it was on its way when this little boy, probably three or four years old, caught my attention. I was struck by his excitement at the opportunity to drop his little handful of coins into the plate as it passed. 

He was so excited that he ran to the end of the row and knelt on the pew, his head resting in one hand and his fingers tapping restlessly with the other. As the plate got closer, he could contain himself no longer. He ran to the usher and excitedly dropped his little coins in the plate. 

Now, I know that he probably just felt like a big boy for putting the money in the offering and was not really fully aware of what he was doing, but it certainly had an impact on me. When was the last time I really eagerly ran towards God like the little guy ran toward that plate? 

The offering song was also beautifully poignant to the moment, as the words referenced God calling to us with his arms open wide, beckoning us to run to him. I suddenly wished I was that little boy, eagerly awaiting a chance to worship God with that much excitement. 

This year has been very difficult. But seeing that little guy with all that joy on his face really changed my perspective today. I'm not sure that I have been truly joyful in a while. 

So that is my challenge to myself and anyone else reading this: be joyful. Rejoice. 

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Well I, Tonya, have finally arrived back in Prague….kind of anyway. As most of you know, I wasn’t able to get my visa back before Christmas, which meant an unexpected trip to the U.S. for the holidays. We have learned to “roll with the punches” and the trip home for the holidays was a blessing in disguise. We had a great time catching up with family and friends and I received my visa through the mail in time to return to Prague January 11th. It was just enough time to prepare for my next adventure. 

Melissa and I aboard our propellor plane headed to Latvia.

Exactly a week after arriving in Prague I was off to Latvia to visit Freedom61’s ministry. This amazing organization is dedicated to reaching out to the women of Latvia in various walks of life, but their main focus is exploitation. My friend Melissa and I were able to spend time with various volunteers, ask questions, and check out their café and women’s center. I was amazed at the variety of volunteers hailing from America, Australia, and of course Latvia. They have both Latvian and Russian translators! The ministry began several years ago by offering a café for exploited women to visit as a safe haven for relationship building. It has since expanded to a restoration home and a men’s outreach where they try to address the source of exploitation.

The temperature was in the 20's F so we layered up for touring the city.

A fun ice sculpture outside a cafe gives some perspective on the cold.

One of my favorite parts of traveling is seeing how God is real and at work all over the world. It was surreal in many ways, preparing dinner with a fellow American, on our last night in a foreign land while listening to country music. It's in these moments that the world seems both bigger and smaller at the same time. There are so many places that we have yet to see and so many things left to learn. But at the same time, people all over the world have so much in common and you find that out when you do something as simple as sitting around a dinner table together.

We left feeling greatly encouraged by the work Freedom61 is doing. Here is the website if you are interested in learning more about this incredible outreach https://www.freedom61.org. Needless to say, considering all the traveling, jet-lag continues to be a real thing, but I wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for the world.

                Riga's art nouveau architecture was quite impressive!