We arrived almost two weeks ago to Hlinsko. It was a relief to walk into our apartment and our friends had made our beds and had food in the refrigerator! It wasn't an "early to bed" kind of night however; we had people stopping by welcoming us here until almost midnight! Even though we were so tired, it was an instant confirmation of why we are here. Seeing Czech friends and our missionary friends right away was a wonderful thing!
Honestly, for me (Rachael) the first few days were very difficult. Hannah was very sick and I was recovering from being sick as well, so initially it was hard to adjust. It was very different to see Czech through "I live here now" eyes as opposed to, "I'm here for a week" eyes. I think being sick though was the biggest reason that it was so difficult. I really just wanted Lipton Chicken soup and my Canadian bed:)There were other difficulties too. For example, when I realized that although I had been in Czech grocery stores, I had never shopped for things like vanilla, shortening, vinegar, baking soda, etc... Try standing in a grocery store in the spice section with a Czech/English dictionary looking for all the different spices you use: it is not easy! Another thing is that most stores here close at 5 pm. When you are used to having some store open at almost any time, it is difficult to adjust your mind set! And of course, not being able to speak the language yet is always difficult.
Then there is the issue of our paperwork, we have had two weeks of going to the foreign police to make sure that we have all our paperwork, then going back to Prague to get some paperwork "super legalized", then going to a notary and having our paperwork notarized. Now on Monday we have to go to the Embassy in Austria to "officially file" our long term visa paperwork. We are very thankful for our friends here who know so much about the process and are able to help us complete it. Please pray for our trip to Austria on Monday that we would have safe trip and that we would have favour with the officials.
Jody is enjoying playing hockey with the Hlinsko Skulls. They had a "contract signing" where they made him sign a contract saying that he will play with them until he is 100 years old:) It seems that they are very happy to have him, not only because he is a "Canadian hockey player", but also because they are genuinely interested in friendship with him. He has had many opportunities outside of the rink to continue to build relationships with his teammates.
Friday was Jody's third game with the team and although he had gotten some assists with the team before, he scored his first goal as a Skull. After he scored, the team captain Filip (in the photo bellow) picked up the puck and presented it to him. It is our prayer that God would continue to connect and build relationships between him and the team.
Last week, I taught my first English classes. I teach two classes on Tuesday and two classes on Thursday. Each class is two hours long. Before my first class I was so nervous that if someone had an airplane in front of me with a free ticket back to Canada I would have taken it! But within minutes of beginning, my nerves were settled and I really enjoyed it. Thankfully, both of my classes are the same level, which means that I prepare one lesson and use it for both classes. Between the two classes I have 23 students, and I pray that every one of them will see Jesus in me and be open to knowing Him too. Although I am there to share Jesus, the classroom is not an open forum for sharing about Him. Please pray that I will be able to build relationships with the students outside of the classroom so that I will be able to share more about the Hope that is living within me. I will be able to post a photo of me in the classroom later, so check back for that!
We have found a car and bought it! We are thankful for Christer who helped us through all the details of that. In Czech, you cannot always trust what the odometer says, so finding a car that is true to the kilometres listed can be difficult. Without being able to know for sure, you have to rely on how God leads you. There was another car that we were on our way to buy that the guy sold about 20 minutes before we got there. Although we were disappointed, we figured maybe that wasn't the one God had for us. Two days later, we found a 2000 Ford Focus wagon with 113,000 Kms. Even though that is low mileage for its age, the body and interior's use is consistent with that mileage. We pray that God would bless the life of this car and that it would be a blessing to us and in our ministry here!
We have almost been here for two weeks and it is really starting to feel like home. Our girls are beginning to really enjoy it here and settle in nicely. They look forward to starting preschool and learning more Czech. We are also excited because it looks like we will have a really good Czech tutor for us. Jody is picking up the language very quickly, but I am having more difficulty with it. I hope that this will change, however with a tutor!
The SOS Canada hockey team will be arriving in Czech on Saturday! We are looking forward to seeing people from home and ministering with them! We are praying for travel blessings and a spiritual harvest here in Hlinsko!
Here is a view from our apartment window, just so you see what we look at everyday!
And here is another view. If you click on the photo and look closely between the two buildings, you can see the hockey arena (the green and white building). Very appropriate I think that an important place of ministry for Jody is not only so close, but visual for us to pray over every day!
One pastor who has an incredible heart for Czech is praying for Hlinsko to be a place that God inhabits. Right now, this is our number one prayer for our hearts, our home, and our town. "Lord prepare me, to be a Sanctuary!" is the song of our hearts. If you pray one thing for us right now, please pray that God would inhabit, with the fullness of Him, our hearts, our efforts and in turn He would inhabit this town!
Thanks, as always for your support and prayers! We are blessed to have some wonderful people supporting us and praying for us. We love you and miss you all!
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