Why Europe Rocks #...uhhh...

Europe...EUROPE! We live in EU-ROPE!!!!

Kim, Lucka, Lauree, Leah, Katka, Emily all went to Milan, Italy to celebrate Katka and Kim's 30th birthdays and Leah's 35th. Thanks Wizz Air for super cheap tickets! No thanks to border control, though. We're missing Autumn who was "detained" in Poland because she didn't have her passport and we tried to get her into Italy. Epic fail, as the kids today say. :(


What a charming cafe in Italy, it inspres me to poetry: "Scusa mi? Table fee? I don't understand, what sayeth thee?" Ba-Boom, 2 euros a person and the little baby cans of coke were like, 5 euros. Questo e un plagio


The eventide brought with it lighter hearts, Autumn's release from the Polish foreign police (it's a long story) as well as a 7 euro all you can eat buffet. Oh, the tales that were told 'round that table...


Answer: Lauree. Question: Who would survive the longest as a homeless person? To save money, we slept at the Milan airport while waiting for our morning flight. Lauree kept us well supplied with cardboard mats/blankets and waited till the wee hours to get pole position on some benches. Milan was great, but this was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Love you ladies!

the AVERAGE

Christmas 2008

Czech Christmas, celebrated on the 24th with Lucka's family and Erin. Being with the Zagoras is almost like being with my own, except my family doesn't sing Polish hymns and my dad doesn't play the cello. I'm so thankful for the love they show to me and how comfortable it is to hang out with them.


Fish soup, a Czech tradition. I don't know how Eva does it, but this soup is what I look forward to every Christmas, even though it's made from fish bits that no one can really explain.


The gang at the Ellenwoods. It was a great time of hanging out, eating, watching It's a Wonderful Life and talking about what we learned about Christ this past year.


More fish, but this time I took Dana's sushi-making skills with me to Mel and Amy's for US Christmas on the 25th. Merry Christmas!

life and love in late winter

Kacka, me, Hanicka and Evicka at church last night. Kacka is Hanicka's friend from school and started coming to youth group recently--she's super fun. Last night's theme was "Gray Areas" and Strakonice's very own Martin P. did a great job of helping us think through issues like drinking, flirting, smoking, video games, etc. We have a lot of new people coming to youth group, and the youth group team (of which our Jozef is a part) is doing a great job of responding to the various needs and challenges that that creates.


Magda, Iva and Hanka. Hanka came to our English winer camp and started going to Iva's small group...yay...small groups are starting to take off more and more in our youth group, please keep us in your prayers; we so need God's word to intersect with our lives.


Oh, I love love...our dear Brother Brad (aka Banana Brad, Baptist Brad, Butt-kicking Brad, etc) and lovely Lucy were joined in holy and bilingual matrimony February 14th. My favorite part was when Brad said his vows in Czech, and Lucy in English...and then the part where Ken asked them to exchange fingers--what a great wedding!--and then at the reception in Malenovice where we danced to Outkast and Ciara. Beautiful wedding, Kasparovi! Amen, double up A-MEN.


Me and Martina P. at the reception. Yes, that's right, I caught the bouquet. I had to elbow out Lucka Z. and hurt a few feelings, but it's all worth it for a near future of marital bliss, right? juuuuuuust kidding....

What's so great about Amerrrrika #2

*OLD FRIENDS
I don't mean old like old, but like LONG TIME. I love you Tamera, Super Jen, AmyL, Sherry...and I miss you Joey!...and I'm also super glad that I got to spend time with newer old friends like Emily J and Karen T... I love you guys so much. I'm thankful that I can walk with you, even from afar.


Bex, Mom, me and Tamera at my high school graduation (1993). Tam and I have been friends longer than we haven't!


Sarah, Johanna, me, Jen and AmyL at my birthday in RJ Boar's, circa 1997.


Adam, Sherry and Sara at Cedar Campus, 1996.

East meets West: moving my stuff to Strakonice

Natey and the bros from Brad's intern team (Ryan, Jesse and Jozka) helped carry all the heavy stuff to Lucka's dad's trailer early Wednesday morning. What nice young men! They may look like ruffians, but it's all a facade. Mr. Zagora, Luc, Jitka, Daniela and Natka and I then made the 8 hour trip across Czech and our Westside peeps helped us carry stuff to my new digs.


Since unloading took about 2 minutes, we decided to go to the center for ice cream. Here we have the Cesky Tesin foxes, Strakonice babes, & Pisek cakes (buchty, it's what you say in Czech): Alca, Jana, Natalka, Jitka, Martina, Marta, Radka, Lucka, ma, Daniela, Lucka and Pavel (not a girl) in the back.


Hanging out at the downtown market together, pounding the slurpees--it was a super hot day. But also one of the most important days of my life. I am so thankful for all the friends (such a weak word! They are so much more than that) that God's given me, and I'm unspeakably thankful to get to be a part of His movement here.

Staz Graduation 2006/07

Congratulations Jitka on your successful completion of Staz!

Staz is a one-year internship program that Kam (JV Czech) provides for young leaders and youth leaders. The students have classes Tuesdays and Wednesdays and week long seminars each month. The classes are systematic theology, hermeneutics, strategy of Christ's ministry, etc. The seminars are on topics like Ephesians or worship or counselling, etc. Each group of 3-4 students has a ministry coach who encourages them in their responsibilities (memorizing verses, having a contact ministry, finishing papers, etc), helps guide them in their ministries in their churches and cares for them personally.

Staz is a great program. I was part of the 2002/03 Staz year (as half student, half coach) and it inspired me to go to Moody to take some of the same classes in English. But the best part about Staz is the emphasis on ministry in the local church: the reason that classes are less than half the week is so that the rest of the week can be spent fleshing out what they've been learning and experiencing teachable moments. They also took a mission trip to Romania, hosted a weekend training conference, and learned to live in community.

Jitka is Nate and Lucka's intern for the summer and will be joining the camp office team in the fall, as well as doing college long distance. She's also taking my place in the apartment and is a joy to have around. :)

Zuzka and Tomas' wedding

Gorgeous Zuzka

I love it when my friends hook up, and hook up well. Tomas and Zuzka's wedding was a truly joyful event.