The German Experience

Stop me if you've heard this one: "Five Americans and a Canadian get on a train to Germany..."

This past weekend we decided to travel to Cheb, Czech Republic to visit some other English teachers who live there. On Saturday, we took a train from Cheb to Nuremberg, Germany. (I'll get some pictures up of that soon, I promise.) We spent the day enjoying the town, looking at old Nazi historical sites and enjoying butter filled pretzels. An old lady even tried to convert us to a strange, nameless religion. I found that ironic.

We stayed all day and into the evening. We then decided it was time to return to Cheb. We boarded the train and relaxed a bit because we had over an hour to kill in between locations.

Finally we came to a stop in a town called Bayreuth. It was not our final stop so we paid no attention to it. After sitting there for longer than normal, a man came through the train and spoke to us in German.  "Do you speak English?" One of us asked. He did. "This is the final stop," he said. That was not possible because we were still thirty minutes from our transfer train, so we asked him to elaborate. According to the driver (Engineer? Pilot?) the train we were riding had split into two trains and the train we needed to be on was long gone. To make matters worse, there was not going to be another train for nearly two hours, which meant we were going to miss the connection to Cheb, which meant that we were stuck there (there being Germany) for the night.

The girls we were staying with sent a few text messages to some Cheb locals to see if they could help us out. Since it was 9:30 at night, I think none of us really thought we were going to make it back to their flat that night. Thankfully, we were wrong.

As we sat in the train station we had the privilege of interacting with some of the more colorful parts of German society. There was a man who only made peculiar noises and a few other people who looked as if they were there on "business." The German Police were even nice enough to ask us why we were there and to encourage us to avoid taking drug and speed, which is apparently not a drug to them.

There was one of those electronic signs that periodically changes ads to keep us company, so that was comforting. Especially when it projected an ad that read "$#% Happens." I thought that it perfectly summed up our night.

We knew we could make it one more stop, but it looked like that would be it for the night. Someone began to sing songs from "Les Miserables," which was also appropriate.

Then, a text message came through. It was from one of the English club students the girls had contacted. He had arranged for two cars to pick us up at the next stop and take us back to Cheb. The day was saved. No buses needed to be rebooked, no money lost, no tears shed.

The beauty of this is that one of the drivers was the pastor of a Czech church in Cheb. I was reminded of the verses that say "Do not be afraid...for I am with you and no one will harm you, because I have many people in this city." (Acts 18:9-10 paraphrased a bit.) So I thank God that He watches over us,even in our foolishness, and that He has many people here in the Czech Republic that want to share the Good News of His great love with their fellow countrymen.

A Ministry Update

Hello and welcome back! I have a question for you: what are you doing? It seems like such a simple question with a simple answer, but that is a question we are constantly trying to answer here in Prague. What are we doing? Or more specifically, what are we doing for God here in the Czech Republic?

The one thing that really bothered us last year is that we never really felt plugged in to doing some sort of ministry here, other than teaching. We wanted to do something that allowed us to not only reflect the love of God in our lives, but give us the actual opportunity speak the truth of God's great love to those around us. We had moments of that with individuals, but not really any consistency.

This year we are very pleased that we have found a church to attend that offers some unique ministry activities. Here are a few:

Volunteering at a local university as an English speaking partner, using the Bible.

Assisting an organization that relocates victims of human trafficking.

Working with YoungLife Praha. (Not connected with our church but an opportunity nonetheless)

There is a ministry fair at our church on October 20 that should help give us some clarity on what it is we need to to this year. Please pray that we would have ample opportunities to serve The Lord this year and that we would take advantage of them.

Split Decision

First of all, I have great news to report! We are bringing a group of students to the states (New York and North Carolina!) in late January and early February. Be in prayer for all of the logistical hurdles that we now have to jump to complete the process!  

And now, for the moment you've been waiting for all week: our latest blog!

I've been having a mild case of clumsiness lately. An occasional stumble here, a walk into a door there, no big deal.

This week, clumsiness met circumstance in a very inopportune way.

Everyday when we enter the school building, we have to use our ID cards to scan in and proceed through a turnstile. As I did that this Wednesday, the card slipped out of my hand and hit the floor. Thinking nothing of it, I quickly bent over to retrieve it. I heard a sound that no one who speaks in front of people for a living wants to hear: the subtle ripping of trousers. I popped up quickly and notified my lovely wife of the incident. She inspected and assured me it was not noticeable.

I taught my first class with no problems. Then, I went to sit in a chair in my second class as we watched a video clip. This time the sound was not so subtle. Thankfully, the video was playing so no one but me heard it: the tearing. I quickly exited the room after class to assess the damage. To my horror, the pants had split from the belt loop down. Noticeable? Very much so. I ran to my office to get my coat. I put it on, but it wasn't long enough to cover the tear. I decided to try my bookbag. I released the straps so that the bag hung low enough to cover the area. I looked ridiculous, like some teenaged boy getting his "sag on."

Ultimately, I decided to tie my coat around my waist to teach my last class. I looked like someone from a skate park in the 90s that listened to Pearl Jam and Nirvana. I hated how it looked so much that I told my class what happened. It was better to have split pants than to have them think I purposely dressed like that. They laughed, I laughed, and then I went home with my coat around my waist. At home, the pants were laid to rest. They were beyond saving.


Tune in next week for some very exciting news about some new ministries we are joining.

Going for a Drive

As I've written before, getting a visa can be complicated here. What I did not mention is that it can also be very, very entertaining. Let me explain.

To get a long term resident card here in the Czech Republic, we had to go to a government office and get our pictures and fingerprints taken. This allows us to stay in the country for the length of our employment contract (one year).

Since we still struggle with communication in adult sentences via the Czech Language, we were escorted to our appointment by the assistant principal in his car.

Did I mention he was a Driver's Ed instructor?

We got into the car and were informed that a student would be doing his driving lesson by taking us to the visa office. What followed was a series of starts and stops, engine stalls and near misses, accompanied with a healthy dose of car sickness. On a positive note, I learned the Czech word for "clutch" and "brake." I think they may have learned the American face for "terrified."

After all that, it only took fifteen minutes to get our pictures taken and our fingerprints done.

So to make a long story short, (or a short story long, or a medium story medium) all is well that ends well. At least for us anyway. I am not sure the student will be a licensed driver anytime soon.

FEAR OR FAITH?

I have to admit that I used to be terrified of talking about death. Even after I became a Christian, talking about the things in Revelation or death in general was a topic I wanted to avoid at all costs. I don't know if it was the actual event of my death, the fear of the unknown, or missing "life" that bothered me the most. To be honest, it wasn't until the last three years or so that I became perfectly peaceful about the the whole topic of death.

I guess it should have come as no surprise then, that my English lesson on leaving a legacy and writing your own epitaph made people uncomfortable.  No, uncomfortable doesn't seem strong enough to describe the atmosphere. You would have thought that I had just announced that we were going to go out back and dig our own graves as a class project. The looks of confusion, horror, and "Are you serious?" abounded.

Of course I understood their concern (to an extent). After all, I used to avoid the topic myself. It wasn't as though I wasn't sympathetic to their plight. The assignment was simply to write what you want your legacy to be (in at least three sentences) and what you'd like as your epitaph. I read several examples of serious epitaphs (He was always a gentlemen) and several humorous examples (I told you I was sick).
I was expecting some humorous excerpts and maybe a few sweet ones. So I was surprised at the number of students that said/wrote "I don't know" or "I don't want to talk about this".

After finishing my last lesson of the day on this topic, I had time to reflect on my own past fears and the very real fears of those around me in the present.

Here are my thoughts:
It seems that there are two types of people in regard to death (and everything, really):
1. Those whose fear overcomes their faith.
2. Those whose faith overcomes their fear; even if that faith is a belief in something other than God.

As a Christian, I look to the Bible to give me wisdom on fear, faith, and death. Here are some examples:

Do you fear missing out on life (marriage, children, etc)? Find out what God has to say on the subject.
-Philippians 1:21  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

-I John 4:18  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

-Matthew 6:27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?

If you are a Christian, then whether you're dead or alive, you have Christ. He is sufficient for all your needs.  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Do you fear the actual event of your death?
-Psalms 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
                                          whom shall I fear?
                     The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
                                         of whom shall I be afraid?

-Psalm 112:7 They will have no fear of bad news;

    their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

If you are a Christian then you have nothing to fear because you have given the Lord control of your life. 

Do you fear the unknown? 

-Psalms 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

-Proverbs 1:33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
    and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

If you are a Christian then seek the Lord and trust that what He says is true. 

I realize now that my fear of talking about death existed because my fear was greater than my faith. My fear overcame my faith in the One who brings life.  I was focused on the singular event (death) or my feelings regarding death instead of the promise of life to come. Knowing that God is with me in life or death brings a peace that consistently surpasses my fears. I can't say that I don't fear anything or that I want to be put in a martyr's position. I can say that I know who my Redeemer is, no matter what life or death brings.

The truth is that life is only found in death. Death to selfish desires,thoughts, ideas, etc. allows God to create a new purpose in us which makes us feel more alive. Will you have the faith to put these things to death, or will you let fear win?

If you find death a difficult topic to discuss because of fear, I would challenge you to examine why that is. 

Sardines in a Bus

Do you remember those old Dial Soap commercials that went something like, "Aren't you glad you use dial? Don't you wish everybody did?" They gave you the assurance that if you had used said soap product, that things would turn out okay for you, at least smell-wise. I often think of those old commercials when I ride the public transportation through town.

Currently, here in Prague, the public transit is undergoing a major overhaul. That means that the buses have taken place of the trams while the tracks are redone. Passengers now all have to ride the bus to get to the destination that they could formerly get to by tram. A couple of new buses have been added to take the burden of the passenger load, which helps, but it is very similar to how a squirt gun would help to put out a five alarm fire. That is, not much.

The other day, Tonya and I were waiting on the 119 bus to get home. As it pulled up, we noticed that everyone that was standing in front of us on the side walk was also getting on that bus. We noticed how crowded it was and decided to wait for the X26 bus that was coming right behind (The X26 was one of the aforementioned replacement buses). Somehow, if possible, this bus was MORE crowded. Nevertheless, we piled into the bus and headed for home. It was standing room only at this point.

As the bus came to its first stop, I hoped that a few people would step off. Instead, three more people hopped on, pushing us closer into the bus. I stepped up on a ledge that is right beside a seat to allow myself a little more room. This gave me a nice view of the crowd, and a break from the close quarters. It was only a temporary break, however.

At the next stop, a flood of passengers got on the bus. They pushed their way on, forcing everyone to crowd together. The bus was so full that the doors had trouble closing. Even after they closed, people pushed us all closer together still. I was pushed into the lap of an unsuspecting woman about my age. I looked at her and simply said, "Pardon" and shook my head in shame. She seemed to be okay with it, and we continued down the road uncomfortably close to everyone. I finally managed to get out of her lap, but this led me directly into the back of a much older, plus sized woman. So I was stuck between a lap and an awkward place. Thankfully, the bus ride was almost over.

When we came to a stop, I don't think I have ever been so happy to get out of a vehicle before. Between the reek of international funk (yes I am glad I use Dial) aboard the bus and the impromptu "Santa's Lap" moment, I was done with the public transit that day. Unfortunately, construction lasts another month.

Here is a picture I took while perched on the lap of a stranger:

There and Back Again, or What Did Summer Teach Us?

The two short months that we spent at home this summer taught us a few things. I think I will do them in bullet point format to shake things up a bit. Here is what we learned, in no particular order:

• Chick Fil-A is the most delicious place to eat on the earth.
• There is no European equivalent of good Mexican food.
• There is no limit on how much Mexican food we can eat. 
• Pizza Hut signs make me happy.
• Walking for four hours on the beach to find wild horses is completely worth it. 
• Never underestimate the value of a free refill and a to-go cup.
• After not playing for one year I have the exact same amount of skill at golf: none.
• Family isn't limited to blood relation.
• Home is people, not a place. 
• Basketball is a part of our heart, as are the people we've met because of it.
• God's Grace is Sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9) for any occasion.

So now we are back again. We don't know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future. And that is a very comforting thought. 

Tune in next time, same Czech-Time, same Czech-Channel.