The Reason for the Season

So it’s been awhile since we updated the blog. As I’m sure is the case for most this time of year, we have been pretty busy.  Our weeknights have been filled with Drama Club, Worldview Club, English speaking partners, and Bible Study. It’s kind of weird that last year it seemed like we couldn’t get anything going regularly and this year we never seem to have enough time to do everything we want to do. 

I was having a conversation about God recently with my speaking partner. During the conversation we started talking about how some people say that they don’t believe in anything and how that was hard to believe. We all have a measure of faith in someone or something even if it’s just ourselves.

During this Christmas season I think I’ve realized more than ever how much of a privilege it is that I do believe in God. It’s disheartening to think about the hopelessness of living without the hope of a Savior. I can’t imagine celebrating Christmas without recognizing and appreciating the whole purpose for the holiday. 

It’s hard to imagine not having faith in something greater than myself. It’s hard to imagine not believing in Jesus’ payment for my sins and the peace that it brings. It’s hard to imagine not having a personal relationship with God. But I have to try to imagine it because it’s how most people around me live their lives.

The whole “Jesus is the reason for the season” saying has come alive all around me because I’m one of few who truly believes that here. 

We will be taking a break from the blog for the rest of December. We will be doing a lot of traveling and will hopefully have lots to write about in January, including our upcoming trip to the USA!

Wanting the Unwanted

This past week we were able to gather together with our fellow teachers from all over Central Europe to celebrate Thanksgiving in a very small town about ninety minutes southeast of Prague. It was a great time to decompress from the tensions of teaching and being so far from home for the holiday. Typically when we do this type of thing, our group is the only one there and we have the run of the place. This time though, there was a group sharing our retreat center. It was a group called Hands of Hope and they were here with a group of about twenty-five or thirty orphans.

The kids arrived around 4pm on Friday and we knew instantly by the stark change in the volume level of the retreat center. We heard the high pitched sound of little voices bouncing off the walls. It is always adorable to hear little ones speak in a different language.

I got my first look at them at dinner that evening. They were various ages and sizes, and were all eager to get something to eat. I was instantly touched at the sight. So many little children that society does not want, yet they seemed so happy just to be there. I have always been amazed at the resiliency of the spirit of a child. As I watched them heap too much food on their plates, I was stricken with a heavy sadness as I thought to myself, "Why does no one want them?" It burdened me for the rest of the evening.

Later that night, Tonya and I were sitting in the lobby and a little boy walked in with a whistle. "Look," he said proudly, "I have a whistle." He proceeded to blow out an impossibly bad song. "Wow!" we said, being supportive. He smiled and ran away. It was one of the sweetest things I have ever seen.

As I got up this morning, a thought occurred to me. Someone does want them. Though they may never have an earthly mother or father, there is a Heavenly Father who wants to know them desperately and has not forgotten them. It gave me another reason to be thankful this holiday season. God, in his infinite wisdom, mercy, and love, did not leave me as an orphan, when I was fatherless in my sin. To Him be the glory.

As some of you know, Tonya and I have applied to adopt from China. We continue to wait patiently for God's perfect timing to be completed. I wish we had more news to share about that, but the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly.

Lastly, I want to wish everyone back home a very Happy Thanksgiving! We love you and miss you.

Who Do You Think to Thank?

It's November again, a time when everyone in the USA remembers to be thankful for at least a little while. Not that we aren't thankful at other points of the year, but this month gives us a chance to specifically focus on our blessings. That will be my focus this week.


1. My wife. Tonya has been a source of strength for me for our entire marriage (eleven years for those who are curious). During our time here in Prague, she has consistently provided with with support and encouragement, along with godly counsel. She is one in six billion.

2. Our teammates. We have a special group of young women who also work with us here in Prague. They are funny, reliable, dedicated, quirky, humble, and generally remarkable in every way. They don't get a tenth of the credit they deserve, and they don't ask for it.

3. Our friends and supporters back home. We get emails, Facebook messages, financial support, Words With Friends games, packages, and most importantly, prayers from all of our friends back home and we are eternally grateful for it. Without that support, we would not be able to do this. We love you all.

4. Our family. You all have loved and supported us through the entire process of deciding to come overseas. All of our old stuff is cluttering your houses and you don't even care. We are so blessed to be the recipients of your love and support through cards and packages. We know you pray for us daily and we feel your prayers and are encouraged to continue forward by them.

5. Our former basketball players. The young women you have turned out to be and are becoming has blessed our hearts beyond measure. We know that God has a perfect plan for all of you. Being your coaches was the most fun we ever had. Know that we pray for you and that we are here if you need us in any capacity.

6. Above all, Christ. His extended hand is never out of our reach. He is our rock and our fortress. May our lives be a blessing and a testimony to Him whose grace is sufficient for our weaknesses. Thank you Lord for choosing us to play this small part in your Kingdom.

We have many other things to be thankful for, some of which have not yet been finalized. I hope to bring more good news to you in the coming weeks.

Be careful what you answer...

A saying hangs in our flat in Prague as a reminder to trust, yet how quickly things are forgotten in a moment of panic or desperation.  The saying goes, "Sometimes God answers prayers the way we would pray them if we knew what He knows."

While in Italy for Fall break, we were often forced to stop and ask for help. We needed help from strangers for directions, from bus drivers (for getting off at the correct stop since they are often not labeled), or help with communication in general.

The last night that we were there, we we found ourselves in yet another one of these situations… Our hotel was a good hour outside of Milan so by the time we caught the train, we were way too late to get the last bus to take us to our hotel. It was around 11:00p.m. and we were quickly running out of time, patience, and options.

We considered walking, but we had no map and no way to figure out exactly where we were in the dark. After about thirty minutes of trying this or that, we finally decided a taxi was our only option (easier said than done). We headed toward the centre of town looking for a familiar car with a lit up sign on top. At this point we were willing to pay the overpriced fare.

Cars were indeed everywhere and we were on a busy street, but no familiar yellow taxi was to be found. We finally asked a police officer where to go and he suggested the train station (back where we had started).  By this time, we were sure that our hotel booking had been canceled (considering check-in was between 3 and 10p.m. and it was now hitting midnight). The situation was looking grim and I was praying for a cab (any cab) to pass by. After back tracking to the train station expecting a line of yellow cabs, we were sorely disappointed to find a very quiet street. The only sign of life was a group of "scary" men standing near the bus stop that was no longer an option.

I don't remember how it happened exactly but somehow (maybe because we looked confused) we began talking to the group of "scary looking" men. We were trying to ask them which direction we needed to go. They kept asking us where we were trying to get to, what our hotel street was, what the phone number was. We even tried calling the hotel to get better directions to help with our explanation but there was no answer. No one seemed to know where the hotel was and we were beginning to think it wasn't a real place. We knew the general area that the hotel was in (near the arena), so finally one of the guys told us that he'd take us to the area and ask if anyone knew the hotel.

We were now in the hands of a stranger from Ghana named Ben. Ben was a funny guy, that had we seen under different circumstances, at a very different hour of the day, we'd probably never even have met him or spoken to him. But at this point, we were desperate. Getting in an unmarked car at midnight with a "shady homeless looking" man you just met doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Again, we were desperate.

What I'd asked for in my prayer was a taxi and in my mind the answer was a little yellow car with a lit up sign on top and a driver that would know all about our hotel and we'd be there in five to ten minutes tops. What I got was a small, dark, messy car (no sign on top) with a driver named Ben that had no idea where we needed to go. We must have stopped five different times to get out of the car or yell at passerbys asking directions from anyone and everyone. Once we even picked up a drunk man at a bar who was sure to take us directly to the place, only to find out that it was the wrong place.

We finally convinced Ben to go back to the landmark that we were sure our hotel was near. In the end, we spotted the street name ourselves. Ben insisted on staying with us until we contacted the hotel owner because he didn't want us to be stranded. When we finally arrived around 2a.m. we asked Ben how much he wanted for hauling us around and he just said,"Whatever you want to give me."

I wouldn't always recommend getting into a car with a random stranger, but on this particular night I learned an important lesson. I was willing to pay some yellow cab stranger whatever he wanted in order to find our hotel but God answered my prayer with an unmarked car and an unofficial taxi driver that didn't even ask for a specific amount of money.

I had answered God's prayer for Him in my own mind and I'd judged the answer that He gave me when it didn't match mine. I still don't know much about Ben other than he left Ghana because of the conflicts there but I do know that he was an answer to prayer.

…maybe Ben needed the money that we ended up paying him (sounded like he'd been out of work for awhile); maybe we just needed a reminder to trust God; or maybe this was another example of why you shouldn't judge others based on preconceived notions. Whatever the reason, thank God for the kindness of strangers.

Romeo and Juliet

It has been a while! We had the blessing of a full week of fall break. We took advantage of it! Here is a highlight.

We spent the week in Italy. I think one moment really stood out to me more than any other. Among all the beautiful locations, among the churches and weathered remains of castles, we met an old man as he was walking up a hill towards the Castle of St. Peter in Verona. He was walking slowly but purposefully. He was pumping his arms the way a soldier would as he marched in a parade, if the marching was done at an impossibly slow pace. As he spotted us sitting there catching our breaths from our long walk, he smiled and offered us a "bonjourno." We reciprocated, causing him to rattle off some indecipherable Italian. We smiled and offered our apologies, as we don't speak Italian. He gestured toward the window overhead and said what I am pretty sure amounted to "watch this" and then called out. He put his hand to his ear and then waited. After a moment, a woman came to the window and answered. They talked for a bit and then he walked to the door of the building and left us with an "arrividerci." It was like we had just watched Romeo call to his Juliet (after all we were in Verona). It was romantic and beautiful and the thought of having someone to answer your call at that age warmed our hearts.

Then I was reminded of the God who is always there to answer our call, even if we don't realize we are calling out to Him at the time. It is the peace that comes with that thought that confirms in me why I trust in Christ for salvation. He is both Romeo and Juliet. Calling to us to come to Him to free us from ourselves, and answering us when we realize this and call out to Him for that freedom. I am often amazed at the moments that God chooses to speak to me. I thought I was simply going on vacation.

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.