what's up--spring edition

Our every-other-Sunday cooking club (aka VIP) is continuing to rock and roll--last time we even invited the boys to help us cook and eat.


English club, Strak style will go for 2 more Mondays and then...English Camp! July 3-10.


Volunteering at Jezarka Retirement Home (ongoing). Three of us visit some residents once a week or once every two weeks. We've also helped them with weeding a few times and we hope to continue this over the summer and add more volunteers once the school year begins. Yay! This has been a longtime prayer and desire of our group to get out in the community and serve, and God opened the doors through the amazing Ms. Kleckova, the home's director. We're pictured above with Bonnie and Jon's intern team.

to the JLP from Czech with fondness

I have a few addictions: coffee, pleasant smells, Full House and the John Larroquette Project. The first three are rather obvious, but some of you may not know about the JLP. It's this blog by a friend of my kins, and it makes me laugh out loud--well, sometimes it doesn't, but if JLP ever fails there're always the comments. Sometimes the adjectives are disturbing (like "supple") and sometimes the content is uncomfortable (like, animal hoarders) and sometimes you can find the a*word and sometimes he goes on about music that I haven't heard of, but overall I laugh just as much as I do at the antics of Stephanie and Kimmie Gibbler.

The reason why I'm writing this is because of a project we're doing for the upcoming JV Ladies retreat, to quote: "We will provide pretty A4 (that’s just regular sized European copier paper for those of you who may not know) sized notebooks for each of you, and we would like to fill it with something that you want to share with your friends. It could be:

A few new recipes that you’ve been enjoying
Some thoughts from a Bible study you’ve done recently
A Bible study that perhaps you’ve written and would like to share
A list of cool websites that you like to frequent
...
Money saving tips
Your favorite list of songs/artists/movies"

A cool website? Dy-no-mite. And then I knew I had to share the joy of JLP, specifically, the Michael Landon post. I tried to contact the author, but to no avail, so if you see him, could you please tell him that I properly cited JLP and am spreading glad feelings to missionary ladies all over central Europe?

the rest of 2008

JV Thanksgiving conference at Malenovice, right when I got back from the States.


The Thanksiving outreach the girls and Martina organized for our youth group--lots of new faces!


ESI (extended summer intern) debriefing in Vienna...thank you Boyz II Men for the following insight: "it's so hard--to say goodbye--to yesterday."


Iva, Klara, Bonnie, Martina, me and Aubree after our All Star Girls' Bible Study.


English Club in Pisek, every Tuesday evening at our church.

i luv summer 4-ever!

This past month has been so full, here's a brief recap of some of the highlights...
Amazing Race, May 28-30

So, okay, this year the deal was to travel al over Czech and take pictures at various sights, so one of our tasks was to go to Karlovy Vary and get a picture in front of the Hotel Imperial and drink from a natural spring. However, no more trains or buses ran by the time we were finished, I didn't want to hitchhike, and the hotels were way too expensive. So we went to one of the bigger hotels, nursed Pepsis at a diskoteka until about 2 (above), and then snuck into a secluded corner of the lobby and dozed on the chairs until we got up at 5 to take our bus to Plzen.

...Intern Training, May 30-June 4...Staz: Final Project Presentation, June 2-4...Summer Intern Hang Out Day at Lucka's parents', June 5...

Visting Ceske Budejovice, June 13-15

We had such a good time with these guys! From playing volleyball to eating Chinese to praying together to going to schools and inviting students to camp (above), that weekend bonded our hearts to the CB youth group.

...Staz Final Week & Graduation, June 10-12...Pisek Celebrations, June 13-14...

Hillsong and Matt Redmond in Vsetin CZ, June 15

We took a quick trip across the country to join 4000 other Czechs (plus some Poles and Slovaks) in praising God! Ahhh!!! A theme that kept showing up in the text was selfless worship, giving our lives to follow Jesus...may that message take hold here.

...Visiting Schools in Prague, June 18...Leah at Coufals' Retreat in Olomouc June 20-22...Pisek Pre Camp Party, June 21...Strakonice Team Hike and Hang Out, June 22...

Life 'Round Here, June 16-26: washing chairs at the church, spontaneous dinner parties with old and new friends, teaching at the Strakonice High School, English Club Parents' Party, cleaning out an attic...

One thing I love is when people come together and eat! We met this graffiti artist at the park (far left). We were playing games and he thought we were a group of mentally challenged kids but then he played with us, came to dinner, and now has a new understanding of who Christ is.

And tomorrow, June 28, Ceske Budejovice Camp starts! Yeah!!!

wuzza goin on

Sorry, the comeback of the Italian accent is probably due to the fact that last year at this time the JV ladies were in bella Roma *sigh!* Amy Lawlor, where art thou?


Okay, in case you're wondering, here's what's up:

March 3-7: Internship seminars in Pisek: Ephesians and Old Testament Survey
March 12-14: Moody students in Strakonice!
March 28-30: Women's Min team retreat
April 10-18: Staz/Internship mission trip--I'm going to Ukraine, baby! More to come, but all the students and leaders in the program are dividing up and going to serve in three different countries: Ukraine, Romania and Albania. Rock on.

...otherwise, the Internship program is Tuesdays and Wednesdays, English club is Wednesdays, I teach English Thursdays and Fridays and there are always random meetings, normal life stuff :)...

eeeeee! Coming Home!!! eeeee!

Yep, I'm a litle excited. I'll fly into O'Hare January 9 and fly out the same way Feb 8. ALSO, thanks to Greg and Mark Gold (with the help of Dana and Josh) I have a minivan to use while I'm home. HA! So, if you would like to hang out, please let me know, because I'm now mobile.

what's happening this next month...

...last month's girl weekend, "Hen Flight": it was a lot of fun, we played games and danced and did edible face masks and had small group time and talked talked talked...

Nov 19-20: Staz going to Plzen
Nov 21-24: JV Thanksgiving in Malenovice
Nov 26-30: Staz at Malenovice
Dec 4-5: Staz in Strakonice
Dec 7: Pisek/Strakonice Thanksgiving outreach
Dec 11-12: Staz
Dec 15: Cesky Tesin Thanksgiving outreach
Dec 17-19: Staz at Malenovice

more of what was and what will be...

10/5-6 Eating Chinese with the Ceske Budejovice group during their English camp overnight reunion party. What a blessing to see old new friends and see them get involved in the youth group!


10/6-7 The Tabor youth group's hobo skit was great, as were their reunion party relay races: "Cursing Life," "Cigarette Tug'o'War" and spitting.


10/19-20 Our Pisek youth group hosted a regional youth conference called Houba (Mushroom? Sponge? either one works). About 80 students attended, and David Novak (head of youth min for the CB denom) and Jirka Kantor (a pastor from Plzen as well as being a teacher and coach for our Staz cell) gave it to us straight about sex and relationships. Radka, Marketa (from Staz), Jana Cimpova and I led a seminar just for girls where we talked about our experiences with relationships, sin, disappointment, and meeting Jesus in the midst of all of that.

WHAT UP:
10/23-24--Staz in Tabor...road trip!
10/26-27--Slepici Ulet (Hen Flight, lit, aka, girls' wknd) with our Pisek youth group
10/29-11/2--Staz in Malenovice
11/2-11/4--English weekend with Letovice!

the low down on the fall...

Daniela, Luc, Hannah E and David during my goodbye weeknd in CT...

What was:
Sept 7-9 Saying goodbye to Cesky Tesin! :(
Sept 11-12 Staz meeting in Brno
Sept 17-22 JV Fall Conference
Sept 25 BKam meeting (in English--Czech Josiah Venture BOHEMIA!)

What is:
nonstop meetings and parties!

What is to come:
Oct 1-5 First week of Staz in Malenovice
Oct 5 Camp reunion party in Ceske Budejovice
Oct 6 Camp reunion party in Tabor
Oct 9-10 Staz in Strakonice
Oct 16-17 Staz
Oct 23-24 Staz

TBD...English with students' parents...small groups with the Strak girls...outreach...and for sure more meetings and parties...bring it!

Summer Schedule 2007

(right now it's not so busy, just messy)

WHAT WAS:
May 24-26: CBV Kam conference
May 29: Summer interns arrive in Prague and Amazing Race begins
May 29-31: Amazing Race, Prague-Ostrava-Frydlant
May 31-June 6: Intern Training, Malenovice
June 2: Tomas and Zuzka's wedding (also Agnes and Petr's wedding day!)
June 12: Meeting with Staz (Internship) leaders about next year, Staz 2007/08
June 12-13: Hiking to the top of Lysa Hora (Bald Mt.) and sleeping there overnight
June 14: Jitka graduates from Staz 2006/07
June 6-20: Packing, spending time with CT friends, saying goodbye

WHAT WILL BE:
June 20: Move things to Strakonice!!! Saying hello
June 22-23: Women's min team meeting in my new apartment
June 26-30: 1st term camp training
June 30-July 7: Ceske Budejovice Camp (with Grace Church from Phoenix, AZ)
July 10-14: 2nd term camp training
July 14-21: Strakonice Camp (with Blanchard Rd. from Wheaton IL and Soma from Tacoma WA)
July 21-24: Strakonice follow up in town
July 28-Aug 4: Cesky Tesin Camp (with Grace Church of DuPage from IL)
Aug 4-8: Cesky Tesin follow up in town
Aug 9-12: Debriefing with summer interns in Prague.
Aug 22-27: JV kid's camp
Aug 27-Sept 2: NaMax festival in Trebic
Sept 2--: Start living in Strakonice!

'sup with you?

'sup with me? Glad you asked...

April 13 Visiting Hradec Kralove schools
April 13-14 Bohemia Training Weekend
April 16-17 Kam Anniversary Conference
April 27-28 Moravia Training Weekend
May 1-5 Josiah Venture Spring Conference
May 18-19 Last Setkani Meeting
May 24-26 Kam CBV Conference
May 29 Interns arrive, summer begins!

'sup with YOU?

from now until March

Dec 8-9: English Camp team retreat
Dec 13: Breanne flies to CO :(
Dec 24: Czech Christmas at the Zagoras
Dec 25: US Christmas with the Ellenwoods
Dec 26-31: Pisek winter English camp
Jan 5-6: Women's Conference 2007, Malenovice
Jan 11-Feb 8: Me in the US
Jan 26: Johanna's wedding day!!!
Jan 25-26: Setkani weekend (2nd of 4)
Feb 26-March 2: JV Women's Conf

summertime...and the livin's easy: my summer schedule

May 30--Interns arrive in Prague
May 30-June1--Amazing Race
June 1-7--Intern Training at Malenovice
June 9-11--Sumperk English camp prep weekend
June 17-18--Visiting Sumperk with Ania and Natalka
June 21-27--With Brad's team
June 28-July 8--Sumperk training & camp
July 12-22--Cesky Tesin training & camp
July 26-August 5--Pisek training & camp
August 7-11--Intern debriefing in Prague
August 9--Mom, Aunt Barb and Aunt Sandy fly into Prague!!!! :) Yay!!! Ten days of fun and mayhem!!!
August 26--Romama and Pichal's wedding