Say Cheese!

Have you ever been in a group photo? Of course you have. Maybe it was for a team you played on, or a class photo from elementary school, or summer camp, but you've definitely been in one. The thing I love about group photos is that they capture a moment in time that will never come again. Surprisingly, that is also what I don't like about them. Group photos are bittersweet. They let us remember a past event with gladness, but they also make us sad as we begin to realize how much we miss those in the picture we no longer see anymore. In some cases, those in the pictures with us have passed away, leaving that photo as one of the only things of them that remain. This is a depressing thought for some of us, but not for all of us. Let me explain.

I recently had the privilege of taking a group photo with some friends of mine who have also dedicated their lives to serve The Lord here in Central Europe. As I looked at it on everyone's favorite social networking site, I realized that that particular group of people may never be in the same room again. I wanted to feel sad about this, but I was struck with the beautiful realization that most Christians take for granted on occasion: We will all be in the same room again someday.

For Christians, we have the peace of knowing that the end is never really the end. We have the hope of heaven and the peace of knowing that God will bring us all together again one day, either here on earth for some special calling, or in eternity when we celebrate the marvelous victory of Christ over sin and death.

So now when I look at myself in this group photo, I remember the hope I have in Christ and the peace that it brings. I don't deserve it, but He gave it anyway.

That is definitely something worth remembering.


Spiritual Renewal Retreat, January 2014

The Final Countdown

There is a song called "The Final Countdown" that plays just before basketball games or other sporting events. It implies that something big is about to be decided. Lately I feel like that song has been playing on repeat in my mind. Tonya and I have a big decision to make in February and it feels like we have so many options to entertain that we just don't know what to do.

When we decided to sell our house, store our belongings, give away our car and move overseas, we knew we would be doing that for at least two years. That number always seemed like so much time and such a far off place from where we were when we committed that we would certainly know what to do next when the time came to make a decision. Well, the time has come and here we sit, nearly clueless as to what we need to do next. We have a general idea of what we want, but we want what we want to be what God wants us to want. Makes sense, right?

We went to church today, hoping for answers or insights, and the pastor preached a sermon about waiting on The Lord. That is pretty funny because typically the last thing I ever want to do is wait on The Lord for anything. But that seems like what we need to do right now.

Will you help us wait on The Lord? Will you pray for us to have wisdom as to what our next step is? We would greatly appreciate it.

I bet that song is in your head now.

2013: Year in Review

The past year was one of the most challenging and roller coaster-y years of our lives. There were constant highs and lows and unexpected twists and turns. We learned a lot about ourselves, our lives, and our God who constantly provides for our needs. Here is how it went:

January
I was very ill at the outset of the month. To add insult to injury, January dumped a healthy dose of cold and dark on us that we were not quite ready for. Homesickness hit pretty hard as well. Suffice it to say, we were not a fan of the month of January.

February

The cold continued, but we were blessed to have a wonderful trip to Rome. The weather was much nicer, and we got to spend some quality time with good friends. Tonya had a bit of an illness this month which prevented her from attending the school dance, which was a bit of a downer. Overall, though, February was nice.

March

March was LONG. Other than that, it was uneventful.

April

This month was a month of excitement! My brother and his family came for a visit for Easter. It was a great boost for us as they lifted our spirits. What was really surprising about this month was how cold it was. Even our students and colleagues remarked about how long winter was hanging on. The highlight of the month and the school year was our first drama club production. We did not know what to expect, and the students blew us away with how amazing they were. They really put their hearts into the production and we were very proud of them for it.

May

May was strange because our fourth year students were dismissed to study for their final exams. We had some days where we came in to school at 2:00pm to begin our day.

June

June had an interesting start as I attended a zombie walk with one of my students. It is exactly like it sounds. Dress up as a zombie, and walk through Prague. It was very funny. We terrorized tourists as they snapped photos of us. You can even find it on YouTube. The rest of June passed without event, and we said goodbye to Prague. We arrived home on June 29th.

July

July was a time to reconnect with family and friends. We also began to work feverishly on our August fundraiser. For the first time, we toured the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina.

August

The highlight of August was no doubt our basketball fundraiser. We were able to see so many of our former students and watch some great three on three basketball. To all the people who helped us raise over 3,000 dollars for our endeavors here, thank you so much.

September

We returned to school the first week of September with a sense of confidence. We knew our way around the city and the school, and the month moved along very smoothly. We were able to connect with YoungLife Praha, a Christian youth outreach organization here in Prague. We also found a church home: International Church of Prague.

October

We began drama club again, this time with the assistance of some YoungLife leaders. We were very pleased to have them be a part of drama club. We were also able to take a wonderful fall break trip to Italy where we toured many famous towns such as Florence, Pisa, Milan, Verona, Venice, and Cinque Terre.

November

For November, we got together for Thanksgiving with all of the ESI teachers from Hungary and Czech Republic. It was great to hear about what The Lord is doing in these countries. A huge highlight for us was being able to see some new believers get baptized at out church.

December

December was surprisingly warm here in Prague. We only got a light dusting of snow that lasted for only about a day. The highlight of December was being able to travel again. This time we got to see Paris and Budapest, two very beautiful cities. I was astonished at how much French I remembered from high school. Mrs. Dorton, (my high school French Teacher) I am sure I have made you proud.

So that wraps up the 2013 year in review. If you are still with me at this point, you deserve a treat of some type.

It's only about three weeks until we will be coming to the USA with a group of Czech students! Prayers are greatly appreciated.

Many thanks to all of you who have supported us through the past year.