Cesky Tesin follow up

Tereza, Sasi and Ilona on the square in CT.



Everyone getting ice cream before walking to Poland. Today was church and lunch and Poland and dinner, tomorrow is motor cars and sports and a cook out, and Tuesday los Americanos go to Prague. We love hanging out with you, Grace team! After that, I go to Prague for intern debriefing and then to my new home in Strakonice...ahhhh...!

Cesky Tesin English Camp 2007

Our crazy class: Lussy, Magda, Honza, Kiki, me, Ilona & Sasi, Kaca & Marek. We had wild discussions each night, from everything to if Lazarus would rather have stayed dead to evolution to the problem of pain and the death of loved ones. It was great, sometimes rowdy and always interesting.



Oh, sports...even though the camp was 90% female, we played more sports than at any camp I've ever been at. Good thing our team had Jana (white t-shirt) who plays basketball for a local team. She led our Dangerous Donkeys to massive victory. Hee haw!



50s night! Honza, Daniela, Ania; Daria and Jola. Daria and Jola were in Daniela's small group this past year and served on the Czech team, and Daniela and Ania just got back from a missions trip to Croatia. Gotta love discipleship...it was beautiful to see how Katka served by translating and organizing, she reminded me so much of her "mama" Romana...how Natalka, Magda and Eni stepped up in taking responsibility and caring for people, and even seeing those girls' "disciples": Katka's Lenka and Natal's Marysia, especially...and the best thing is, it that it's all done in community--praise God. !

Why Europe Rocks: Reason #26

CESKY TESIN!!!

Don't get me wrong, but as excited as I am about Strakonice, it's not without sadness that I leave beloved CT...so here's a small tribute to my dear border town...

Why CT Rocks:
* Poland. Did you know that from my apartment complex to the border is a 20 minute walk? And that the Polish side has better clothing and sales? And that Auschwitz and Krakow and other interesting places are less than 2 hours away? Yep, it's true, and it makes me want to say "To jest ganz gupy ze niebeidem bydlet uz u Polska."



* Svibice. Okay, it's ghetto. But it's cheap and no one hastles us about noise because everyone's so loud here. & I'll miss being able to smell in our bathroom what our neighbors are having for lunch, hearing the train brakes screeching, being woken up on weekends by the kid downstairs (or by the guy upstairs vomiting, that happened again this morning, ugh!), or watching all the little kids play outside or hearing male shouts all over the complex when Czech scores a goal.



Lu and Jitka being girlie



* Our camp office culture. I'm going to miss riding to work in the office with Lu, listening to Nate's (above) stories and thoughts (even more than once, my seal brother! :), Jewish rap and random dance parties, morning prayers with Greg and Brad, students dropping by, rohliky lunches, tears, death house, jumping out the window threats, watching people on the square...*sigh*



* Most of all, the CT crew. This includes our church and youth group, students and friends, and most of all Lucka & Daniela & Jitka & the boys & the Ellenwoods (above, the E-wood babes, Hayley, Amy and Hannah). I know I'll see you guys, hopefully once a month, but I really love you so much and it'll be sad not to live day to day life with you. I am so thankful for you!

*another* addendum to WER #23

Miriam&Max

This question often comes directly after the "How old are you" question:

Do you have any children?

It cracks me up! Even before asking if I have a husband or boyfriend, students ask if I have children. I don't even know what to say about that, but it doesn't bother me...it often reminds me of the first few verses of Isaiah 54, so, yay!

life, life and more life

For the past year I’ve had verses from 2 Corinthians 4 hanging by my bed:

...We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal...

Recently, something in me has had to die and it's a been rather painful death. I was on the train, grinding my teeth over it and journaling it out, when it hit me: *it's never only death.* There is always resurrection! Sometimes things die in order to be resurrected in a more beautiful form—like a dream or a desire or a ministry. But even if something must die for real, something else will spring to life because of that death, something much better. It never ends at death, it always becomes more, fuller life! Even though I am being given over to death for Jesus' sake, somehow His life will also be revealed in me, and I believe often in the very place where I have died.