For Such a Time as This

Having given birth to two children, I know that the process of life entering this world is an experience that is second to none. The joy, the tears, the pain, the happiness, the peace is so completely surreal that it almost feels other worldly. This morning I was thinking about another kind of birth, that is Spiritual birth. It, like childbirth, has it's share of joy, tears, pain, happiness and peace. Now childbirth takes place when Mother Nature says it time. Sometimes that's in the hospital, sometimes it is on the kitchen table, sometimes it is in the car...you get the point. It can be a private affair with just mom and dad, or it can be a very public affair too (like the people who video tape their baby's birth and post it on Youtube...right). Anyway it happens, it is beautiful to see life enter the world. Today though I realized that we are getting the incredible priviledge of seeing another life be born!

No, I am not pregnant!

Indescribably beautiful and lasting for eternity, is the joy of watching someone be born into the family of Christ. Here is the story of one such birth taking place.

Recently, one of my (Rachael) student's has started working here in the kitchen at Dlouhy. She is one of my best students and also happens to have a great heart and personality. A young girl who I also consider a friend. Last week, there was a missons team from Wales here. A lot of their ministry has been built on years of returning to Hlinsko and building relationships. It's incredible to watch the fruit of that grow! The team put on an INCREDIBLE English Camp, and my student was one of the participants. She had never come to this particular English Camp before and so meeting the Wales team was new for her. Being out going, it didn't take long for her to make friends. At the end of the week, the team hosted a concert (they are also incredible muscians!) that they had been inviting people to come to all throughout their ministry week. I wasn't able to watch the whole concert because Jody and I were preparing for a BBQ that would be held after the concert, but just from being in the building, I could tell that God's Spirit was moving for sure. As I was setting up for the BBQ, one of my friends came to me and told me that this girl had raised her hand at the end to accept Jesus. Even now I am crying just thinking about this. I immediately went into the building and saw her talking with another one of the missionaries, and she was obviously emotional. I joined in the conversation and she was saying that she didn't really want to talk about what had happened because it was loud and too hot, but that she would talk to me later about it. Now, I haven't had the opportunity to talk to her since, and I think that is good because she needed time and space to think about what God had done. This morning, I had the joy of serving with her in the kitchen. To her...it's just a summer job so she can save money to get her driver's license in January. But I know it is so much more. Knowing that our God is such an incredible story writer, I think it's safe to assume that He wrote her working here into her life story at just the right time in her life. I know she encountered God with the Wales team, and I believe that getting hired on here shortly after is part of His grand plan for her life. Today, I am looking for the opportunity to sit down and talk to her. Hopefully to pray with her too! One thing I am sure of, is that God doesn't write 'chance' into our life story. I believe that she is here for such a time as this! She may not know it, but I know that Jesus is walking beside her, saying her name and telling her it is time to be born into His family. I look forward to being able to write a new blog post with the details of her birth!

Keep Praying!

Quote

Read this quote today and thought it was great:

"It's God's universe and He does things His way. You might have a better way, but you don't have a universe." J. Vernon McGee

FIRST CZECH NEWSLETTER!!

Please click on each page for a full view to read:)

YAY!

I titled this entry "YAY" because we are very excited today! Jody's cousin Bethany will be coming to Czech for the summer to live and work at Dlouhy. She will also spend time with our kids so that we are able to have some time together:) It will be great to have her here, and we know that God has big things for her this summer!

So this morning we are off to Prague. It will be Hannah and Grace's first time on a train and they are very excited about it! We will spend some much needed family time in Prague today and then pick her up early on Friday morning at the airport. Please pray for safe travel for us as well as Bethany (and also for her parents who will be a little nervous I bet).

Will write more later.

Jody's Birthday

Yesterday was Jody's 35th birthday! We celebrated by having a quiet day together. Hannah and Grace's first thought in the morning was, "It's time to give Daddy his presents!" So first thing, we sat down and Hannah gave Jody a mug that says: '35 Let', which means '35 years' in Czech. Then it has wishes for good humor, big happiness and a lot of optimism (maybe he will need more of this now that is he is on the half of the decade closer to 40!). Then Grace gave him cologne to "smell better!" The day was rainy so we went to the mall in Pardubice and had lunch and coffee out. Then back home for pizza and a movie night! It was a great family day. I was excited to give my gift to Jody...Reeses Peanut Butter Cups! Thanks to a friend who brought them over when she was visiting a few weeks ago.

Happy Birthday Jody!

Yellow Fields and a Bird

The other day I was praying with Nela, one of the youth in our youth group and we saw this bird fly out from the bushes and in front of us. I was intrigued by it and wanted to know what kind of bird it was, but couldn't find information about it. Our friend from Canada was here visiting and when we were in St. Barbara's Cathedral she pointed out to us this bird that is used as a symbol of Christ (she knew nothing about my seeing the bird before). It is used as a symbol of Christ because it gives up it's life for it's young. Since then I have seen the bird again twice and I feel as though it is very meaningful for the youth here. I believe that God is reaffirming His heart for the youth here. Telling us that He did give up His life for His young...and it is His desire to reach them all! Seeing this bird is a repeated reminder that He is here and He is at work!


And much less symbolic and spiritual...here are the beautiful yellow fields that dot the Czech countryside in spring. I just love them!

School and Spring

This week is my last week of teaching for the semester. Then next week is review and the students will take their "big" quiz covering the year's grammar. Then on the 19th we will have graduation. I am looking forward to having a break from lesson plans and being busy every Tuesday and Thursday evening, but I know that I will miss seeing my students in class. After school ends, throughout the rest of May and June we will be helping get the Conference Centre (Dlouhy) ready for the busy summer season. Hannah and Grace love the days that we are working out there. Here in town we have no place for them to play outside, but at Dlouhy they have tons of open space and lots of little friends to play with.

Our team recently had a couple from Minnesota come for two weeks. This couple has known Christer and Kicki for many years and has a heart to see the church mobilized around the world. So every year they come with a team and build into the youth, the missionary team and the church leaders. This year, just the two of them came, and it was a pleasure to meet them. It was a refreshing time for us where we learned many things and were greatly encouraged.

The weather here has been so nice that the other day I was telling my students about May 24 weekend in Canada and what everyone would be doing with their holiday weekend and I completely forgot that it was actually April, not May. We had never seen spring before in Czech, only winter and fall, so for us it has been fun to see the trees grow leaves, see green grass, hear birds chirping and pick some Czech Lilacs (they look and smell the same as NA ones). There are also beautiful yellow fields of Rapeseed, Canola oil, growing (I guess it makes sense that they would produce this when they will fry anything from cheese to cauliflower). Driving through the countryside it is likely the most beautiful sight I have ever seen! Bright yellow fields throughout lush green rolling hills with picturesque villages dotting the landscape. Just beautiful! I will have to take a photo and post it on here for you. Not so fun though for Jody's allergies...it seems this year it is really bad, probably because of the different things that are in the air here than in Canada.

This Saturday we will have a team "field trip" to a castle with all the missionaries and then after Jody and I will be doing "The Amazing Race" with the youth group, so it will be a busy week of planning! Here's praying that the weather will be nice for it!

Drop us an e-mail sometime! We'd love to hear from you!