Tuesday, March 5, 2013
There's No Incident Like an International Incident
So I got my sister to send me some beef jerky from the USA a couple of weeks ago. The package took a long time to get here and it made me wonder what was happening. As it turns out, jerky cannot be mailed into the country. I violated the import laws of the European Union. The entire EU vs my beef jerky. Needless to say, my jerky lost. What's more, I have to pay 996 crowns to have them destroy my jerky and deliver the rest of the package to me. How in the world does it cost fifty US dollars to throw beef jerky in a trash can?
Who would have thought that beef jerky would cause an international incident?
I can just see in my head the Czech postal workers sitting back with their feet up in the desk eating my beef jerky. "Vyborna!" (Excellent) they exclaim as they steadily devour the tasty meat snack intended for me and a couple of students.
The really scary part? Another friend just mailed us some Girl Scout cookies. I shudder to think of the ramifications of importing Samoas or Tagalongs could be. Maybe I'll just run across the Charles Bridge like Tom Cruise did in Mission:Impossible on my way to
Finding sanctuary at the US embassy.
This will be the cause of world war three. In the history books, years from now, school children will refer to this day as the Jerky Incident or the Beef Jerky Contra Affair. Who needs to assassinate an archduke or bomb a military base to start a war? Certainly not me. I'll just use beef jerky.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Top Changes of 2012 Part Two
Here is the finale of our Top Changes of 2012. These are the real hard ones to get through, so bare with me.
Leaving GRACE and Teaching in Another Culture: This was very difficult for a few reasons. GRACE had been our home for the past nine years. We knew everyone and were very comfortable to just continue on there. As a teacher, I had a great rapport with my students and Tonya and I were involved in so many different aspects of the school. Fast forward to September: We don't know the language, We speak differently than the last speakers did so the students struggle to understand us (some of them anyway), and everything is different. The Grading Scale is different. The computers are different. I didn't know how to erase emails because I did not know the Czech word for "delete." There were just so many differences all at once. I would go more into them here, but I'll save that for later. Look at it this way: take everything you are used to, turn it upside down and backwards and then make it black and white instead of color. That is almost close to what we experienced in the first two months here.
Leaving Family: I have always been very close to my family. Living only forty-five minutes from where I grew up certainly helped. My parents, my sister, and my brother would come to our team's basketball games. We would go out and eat every couple of weeks. My dad always helped me with things that need to be fixed in our house. My mom always wanted to make sure we had enough of anything and everything we needed/wanted. We even lived with my sister and brother in law for the last month of our stay in the USA. The last day we were all together, we ate breakfast at the Atlantis Restaurant in North Myrtle Beach, SC. There were tears and long held hugs just before we pulled away. It is a hard thing, leaving a piece your heart behind. We look forward to the day when we will all be together again.
Leaving Basketball Behind: This is where it gets really difficult. We coached basketball together for ten years. One year at a school in Chattanooga, TN, and nine years in Raleigh.
Basketball became more than a chance to win championships or trophies. We had the opportunity to be around some of the most amazing girls that anyone could ever meet. We were coaches and we were friends. Sometimes we were the bad guys, and sometimes we were the heroes.
Leaving GRACE and Teaching in Another Culture: This was very difficult for a few reasons. GRACE had been our home for the past nine years. We knew everyone and were very comfortable to just continue on there. As a teacher, I had a great rapport with my students and Tonya and I were involved in so many different aspects of the school. Fast forward to September: We don't know the language, We speak differently than the last speakers did so the students struggle to understand us (some of them anyway), and everything is different. The Grading Scale is different. The computers are different. I didn't know how to erase emails because I did not know the Czech word for "delete." There were just so many differences all at once. I would go more into them here, but I'll save that for later. Look at it this way: take everything you are used to, turn it upside down and backwards and then make it black and white instead of color. That is almost close to what we experienced in the first two months here.
Leaving Family: I have always been very close to my family. Living only forty-five minutes from where I grew up certainly helped. My parents, my sister, and my brother would come to our team's basketball games. We would go out and eat every couple of weeks. My dad always helped me with things that need to be fixed in our house. My mom always wanted to make sure we had enough of anything and everything we needed/wanted. We even lived with my sister and brother in law for the last month of our stay in the USA. The last day we were all together, we ate breakfast at the Atlantis Restaurant in North Myrtle Beach, SC. There were tears and long held hugs just before we pulled away. It is a hard thing, leaving a piece your heart behind. We look forward to the day when we will all be together again.
Leaving Basketball Behind: This is where it gets really difficult. We coached basketball together for ten years. One year at a school in Chattanooga, TN, and nine years in Raleigh.
Basketball became more than a chance to win championships or trophies. We had the opportunity to be around some of the most amazing girls that anyone could ever meet. We were coaches and we were friends. Sometimes we were the bad guys, and sometimes we were the heroes.
We coached middle school for a few years and then were blessed with the opportunity to move up to high school. I'll never forget our first year when we did not win a game until the last two weeks of the season (we won a total of three that year). The thing that really stood out to us that year was our lone senior captain. A girl who almost did not play at all, but decided to give a young couple a chance to make her better. She was our cornerstone. Thank you #55, we are always grateful for that.
Years past, and we went from bad to good to great. We won championships, shared family heartbreak, and became a family ourselves. The team became "Our Girls".
Then, in January 2012, we knew it was time to go. The Lord had called us to do something else for Him, and we were going to. All that was left was to tell our girls goodbye. We knew we were leaving for about one month before we told them. On the night of our first and only JV Championship we knew we had to tell them. Our varsity girls had just lost their championship game and we knew the whole group would not be together again for a long while. It was the hardest thing that we have ever done. If you have ever had to break the hearts of twelve teenage girls all at once, then you understand how we felt. My wife, I think felt it the hardest. Basketball has always been a huge part of her life, and saying goodbye was painful. It was clear that it was God's time though, because she had such peace about it. So with 83 wins and 58 losses, three varsity championships,(two tournament and one regular season) two 1,000 point scorers, and one girl playing in college, Coach Tonya Taylor left the building. Here's to hoping she will get the chance again one day, God willing.
If you ever played for us, thank you. You all impacted our lives more than you will ever know.
I am sure 2013 will be a year of change as well. I could do with a little less than 2012:)
Monday, January 28, 2013
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.
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.
Monday, January 7, 2013
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?
As you can see, Prague was truly beautiful at Christmastime. Soon I will have more pictures up on Facebook!
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.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
A Christmas Miracle, Part Two
First, I want to apologize for the rampant spelling errors in my last post. I was in a rush to get my story out of my head and onto the blog. I forgot to edit. I have taken care of that now.
So, where were we? Ah yes, the darkest moment of the day.
I reached into my pocket and found a few coins. It was just a little more than what I needed to buy a ticket to get on the bus. I really did not need a 90 minute ticket, but since I was still in "Blind Panic Mode" I bought one anyway.
I resigned myself to the fact that my wallet was gone forever; that I would have to tell Tonya that all of her stuff was gone, too. I would have to have someone take me to the authorities and get another open card to ride the bus (pricey).
So as I sat on the tram on the way back to school, I did one of the hardest things I have had to do here. I texted my wife that I had lost everything. I was not looking forward to having to look here in the eyes and retell the story of how I had no real idea where my wallet was. It could have been lost anywhere on the way to the apartment, or on the way back to school. I really had no idea. So I texted her this, "I lost my wallet somewhere!!!!!!" I waited for her reply. I expected a WHAT??? or an OH NO!!! or something along those lines. Instead, I got this response: A man called about it. That was probably the greatest text I had ever received.
When I got to school, there was a number on my desk. I called the man and he only spoke Czech. I could not understand anything he was saying. I was so afraid he would simply give up and throw my wallet away or something. To top it all off, I had to teach a class in less than five minutes. As I got upstairs, one of my students, who speaks wonderful English was standing in the hallway. I was breathless as I had just run up the stairs to get to the class on time. I asked my student to call the man and ask about meeting to get my wallet. He worked out the details (when to meet, where the man lived) and I was on my way to recovering my wallet.
As class ended, I realized that I had to ride the bus/tram back to get my wallet. The only problem was that I had no more money to get a ticket, and the way things were going, there was no way I was going to risk getting on the bus without a ticket. I don't even know what happens if you cannot pay the fine for not having a ticket. I was so worried that with every passing moment I came closer to losing everything. I went into my office and looked in my desk for some change for the bus, but I had none. Then I remembered something. I had purchased a ninety minute ticket to come back to school. I looked at the time and I looked at my ticket. I had twenty minutes left. I raced to the bus stop to get on the next tram or bus that came by. I got on and made it to my stop with one minute left on my ticket. I got off the bus and ran to the man's apartment.
I got to his place and buzzed in. He met me on the stairs and in his hands he held my wallet. He handed it to me and motioned for me to go through it. Everything was still there, even the money that was in it. I pulled out the money and offered it to him but he refused. He simply smiled and said "Have a nice day"in broken English. I thanked him in Czech and English, letting out a huge sigh of relief and a couple of hallelujahs on the way back to the bus stop.
When I got back to school, the head English teacher told me that I was very lucky and that that sort of thing does not usually happen here.
Now, maybe you are reading this and you are thinking that it was simply luck that brought my things back to me, but I would have to disagree. You see, I dropped my wallet when I ran for the bus. The area I dropped it is not very crowded. Any other stop, and it would have been lost forever. I bought a ninety minute ticket when I originally only needed a fifteen minute one at the time. That helped me get back to recover it.The student in the hallway that could make the call for me. None of that was random, in my opinion. I think it was God that helped me find my wallet. He showed me through this that even in little things, He is BIG. It gave me an opportunity to share an incredible story with the people around me.
Maybe you ask, "If it was God, why did he even let you drop it in the first place?" That is a good question. I think it is because every now and then we need to be reminded that God is bigger than circumstances, that He is bigger than my problems, and that He is ultimately in control. It is when we are most out of control that we turn to Him. I turned to Him and He came through.
So I give you a small Christmas Miracle, if there is such a thing as a small miracle.
So, where were we? Ah yes, the darkest moment of the day.
I reached into my pocket and found a few coins. It was just a little more than what I needed to buy a ticket to get on the bus. I really did not need a 90 minute ticket, but since I was still in "Blind Panic Mode" I bought one anyway.
I resigned myself to the fact that my wallet was gone forever; that I would have to tell Tonya that all of her stuff was gone, too. I would have to have someone take me to the authorities and get another open card to ride the bus (pricey).
So as I sat on the tram on the way back to school, I did one of the hardest things I have had to do here. I texted my wife that I had lost everything. I was not looking forward to having to look here in the eyes and retell the story of how I had no real idea where my wallet was. It could have been lost anywhere on the way to the apartment, or on the way back to school. I really had no idea. So I texted her this, "I lost my wallet somewhere!!!!!!" I waited for her reply. I expected a WHAT??? or an OH NO!!! or something along those lines. Instead, I got this response: A man called about it. That was probably the greatest text I had ever received.
When I got to school, there was a number on my desk. I called the man and he only spoke Czech. I could not understand anything he was saying. I was so afraid he would simply give up and throw my wallet away or something. To top it all off, I had to teach a class in less than five minutes. As I got upstairs, one of my students, who speaks wonderful English was standing in the hallway. I was breathless as I had just run up the stairs to get to the class on time. I asked my student to call the man and ask about meeting to get my wallet. He worked out the details (when to meet, where the man lived) and I was on my way to recovering my wallet.
As class ended, I realized that I had to ride the bus/tram back to get my wallet. The only problem was that I had no more money to get a ticket, and the way things were going, there was no way I was going to risk getting on the bus without a ticket. I don't even know what happens if you cannot pay the fine for not having a ticket. I was so worried that with every passing moment I came closer to losing everything. I went into my office and looked in my desk for some change for the bus, but I had none. Then I remembered something. I had purchased a ninety minute ticket to come back to school. I looked at the time and I looked at my ticket. I had twenty minutes left. I raced to the bus stop to get on the next tram or bus that came by. I got on and made it to my stop with one minute left on my ticket. I got off the bus and ran to the man's apartment.
I got to his place and buzzed in. He met me on the stairs and in his hands he held my wallet. He handed it to me and motioned for me to go through it. Everything was still there, even the money that was in it. I pulled out the money and offered it to him but he refused. He simply smiled and said "Have a nice day"in broken English. I thanked him in Czech and English, letting out a huge sigh of relief and a couple of hallelujahs on the way back to the bus stop.
When I got back to school, the head English teacher told me that I was very lucky and that that sort of thing does not usually happen here.
Now, maybe you are reading this and you are thinking that it was simply luck that brought my things back to me, but I would have to disagree. You see, I dropped my wallet when I ran for the bus. The area I dropped it is not very crowded. Any other stop, and it would have been lost forever. I bought a ninety minute ticket when I originally only needed a fifteen minute one at the time. That helped me get back to recover it.The student in the hallway that could make the call for me. None of that was random, in my opinion. I think it was God that helped me find my wallet. He showed me through this that even in little things, He is BIG. It gave me an opportunity to share an incredible story with the people around me.
Maybe you ask, "If it was God, why did he even let you drop it in the first place?" That is a good question. I think it is because every now and then we need to be reminded that God is bigger than circumstances, that He is bigger than my problems, and that He is ultimately in control. It is when we are most out of control that we turn to Him. I turned to Him and He came through.
So I give you a small Christmas Miracle, if there is such a thing as a small miracle.
Monday, December 10, 2012
A Christmas Miracle
Do you ever watch those old movies and see all the magic of Christmas and wish that is the way the world is? Me too. Unfortunately, happy ever after doesn't always get to happen. Sometimes the bad guys win, the good guys lose, and we are left wanting an explanation for the outcome.
Well, I am happy to report that this tale I am about to tell has a very happy ending.
Imagine yourself in a foreign place. You don't speak the language, and you can't tell how the people feel about you because they hide their emotions like professional poker players. What do you do when you need help? Well, you tend to panic because you don't know who can help.
Prague is very much like a US city. In fact, it reminds me a lot of New Orleans, LA. The major difference, however, is that if something horrible happens to you, you do not get to simply walk into a police station and explain your circumstances, unless you speak Czech, which I don't.
So, on to what happened.
I forgot something at home the other day so I made my way back to my apartment and picked up what was missing. On the way back to the bus stop, I saw that the bus had already arrived. Since I did not want to wait another seven minutes for the next bus, I decided to sprint to get on the bus. Narrowly making it, I took a moment to catch my breath and revel in the fact that I had the speed still left in my legs to make the occasional mad dash.
Once on the bus, I did my usual check of my pockets to make sure that I had everything. Gloves, check. Phone, check. Wallet....Wallet.....Wallet....NO CHECK. Panic hit me as I realized I was on the bus without my paperwork, or my bus pass. I immediately requested a stop at the next stop, which is about 1 kilometer from my apartment. I ran back up the hill to the last stop, terrified that my wallet had fallen out at the stop. It was not there. I ran to my apartment. It was not there. My wallet had the following contents at the time of its disappearence: Open Card (bus passes), credit card, bank card, 200 crowns (10 dollars), my US driver's license, Tonya's US license, Tonya's Open Card, and our insurance cards.
It was nowhere. I looked and looked and looked. I cried out to God to help me find it. I was humiliated at the thought of having to tell everyone (read: Tonya) about losing all these things. What a disaster. Open Cards are expensive and the thought of having to trouble a colleague or student to help me communicate with the authorities was overwhelming. I did not even have a way to ride the bus, since my open card was missing.
Here is where it was darkest. but then things began to change. I reached into my pocket and found some money.
To Be Continued.
Well, I am happy to report that this tale I am about to tell has a very happy ending.
Imagine yourself in a foreign place. You don't speak the language, and you can't tell how the people feel about you because they hide their emotions like professional poker players. What do you do when you need help? Well, you tend to panic because you don't know who can help.
Prague is very much like a US city. In fact, it reminds me a lot of New Orleans, LA. The major difference, however, is that if something horrible happens to you, you do not get to simply walk into a police station and explain your circumstances, unless you speak Czech, which I don't.
So, on to what happened.
I forgot something at home the other day so I made my way back to my apartment and picked up what was missing. On the way back to the bus stop, I saw that the bus had already arrived. Since I did not want to wait another seven minutes for the next bus, I decided to sprint to get on the bus. Narrowly making it, I took a moment to catch my breath and revel in the fact that I had the speed still left in my legs to make the occasional mad dash.
Once on the bus, I did my usual check of my pockets to make sure that I had everything. Gloves, check. Phone, check. Wallet....Wallet.....Wallet....NO CHECK. Panic hit me as I realized I was on the bus without my paperwork, or my bus pass. I immediately requested a stop at the next stop, which is about 1 kilometer from my apartment. I ran back up the hill to the last stop, terrified that my wallet had fallen out at the stop. It was not there. I ran to my apartment. It was not there. My wallet had the following contents at the time of its disappearence: Open Card (bus passes), credit card, bank card, 200 crowns (10 dollars), my US driver's license, Tonya's US license, Tonya's Open Card, and our insurance cards.
It was nowhere. I looked and looked and looked. I cried out to God to help me find it. I was humiliated at the thought of having to tell everyone (read: Tonya) about losing all these things. What a disaster. Open Cards are expensive and the thought of having to trouble a colleague or student to help me communicate with the authorities was overwhelming. I did not even have a way to ride the bus, since my open card was missing.
Here is where it was darkest. but then things began to change. I reached into my pocket and found some money.
To Be Continued.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Thankfulness
Many people take the month of November to list all the ways that they are thankful for the good things they have in life. I'll take a moment to do the same here, but not only for the good things.
I am thankful that suffering produces perseverance. I am so grateful to God that He has allowed us to come to the Czech Republic and teach English. I am grateful that He has also allowed us to have hard times here, because it has made us stronger as people, teachers, and ultimately, as Christians.
I can see how a person who is doing work overseas could become overwhelmed at the nearly impossible task that lies ahead of them. Joining into a culture that did not ask for them to come, and then trying to make connections can be very difficult. I am thankful that despite the challenges, we have made some connections with people, and have had some opportunities to share our faith in real and meaningful ways.
Though we have just begun this journey in many ways, I feel like we are already learning life long lessons about God's plan for our lives. And that, is for what I am most thankful.
I am thankful that suffering produces perseverance. I am so grateful to God that He has allowed us to come to the Czech Republic and teach English. I am grateful that He has also allowed us to have hard times here, because it has made us stronger as people, teachers, and ultimately, as Christians.
I can see how a person who is doing work overseas could become overwhelmed at the nearly impossible task that lies ahead of them. Joining into a culture that did not ask for them to come, and then trying to make connections can be very difficult. I am thankful that despite the challenges, we have made some connections with people, and have had some opportunities to share our faith in real and meaningful ways.
Though we have just begun this journey in many ways, I feel like we are already learning life long lessons about God's plan for our lives. And that, is for what I am most thankful.
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