The Top Life Changes of 2012, Part One

Hello Again!

The topic this time is the Top Life Changes of 2012. I know this type of thing is usually done around the end of December, but it took a while to narrow it down. Here we go:

Selling our House: This event was huge because we needed to sell our home quickly, and we would totally have to rely on God to sell it in a timely manner. "You can't sell a house like yours in this economy," was a common sentiment among friends and relatives. Many people thought it would still be ours when we left for Prague in August. I think lots of people simply did not believe that it could be sold in just three to four months, which was a reasonable thing to think, based on the housing market at the time.  We were connected by GRACE parent to a wonderful realtor. She was a Godsend, because she understood our urgency in needing to sell our home. Our house went on the market on April 1st, 2012. It sold on April 14th, 2012. What a mighty God we serve! We knew it was His way of showing us that we made the right choice.

Giving Away Our Car: This was a big change because it continued a trend of getting rid of our reliance on self. We spent the final month in the US without a car, which was very strange. The best part, though, was that we got to bless my sister Laura with a vehicle that she needed.

Training in Pasadena: Here we learned about our ministry and how to do it effectively. We faced emotional hardships and were tested and tried in many different ways. We also made a few close friends, for which I will always be grateful.

Christmas away from home: This would have been so much more difficult if my sister Jennifer and my brother in law Travis had not come to visit. They really helped ease the sting of Christmas away from the rest of our family. As an added bonus, just a few days prior to Christmas, the Brown family went out of their way (literally) to come to Prague to visit us and brought us some wonderful treats from home. They were a huge blessing to us at the exact time we needed to see some familiar faces.

Christmas in the CZ

One of the more peculiar things about the Czech Republic is its often contradictory way of doing  things. Take Christmas, for example. Ask anyone here and they will tell you that this is a predominantly atheist country. Yet, Christmas is still held as a sacred time.

Old Town is lit brightly with a larger than life Christmas tree. It is packed daily with shoppers perusing the Christmas markets looking for a perfect gift to give their loved ones. Nativity Scenes decorate store fronts and smaller squares throughout the city.

Families gather on the twenty-fourth of December and decorate their Christmas tree and enjoy fried carp for dinner, accompanied with a type of carp soup. Potato salad is also served, and is considered a special treat.

Instead of Santa Claus, on the night of the 24th, the Baby Jesus pays each family a visit and leaves presents. There is even a church here that has a Baby Jesus doll that has its outfits regularly changed. Whose job is that?

The Christmas tree and The Cathedral in Old Town. 

As you can see, Prague was truly beautiful at Christmastime. Soon I will have more pictures up on Facebook!