Twick or Tweat

Halloween in Prague...I had the privilege of going trick-or-treating with some super cute kids and great friends. There is a neighborhood in Prague that is affectionately called "Little America" and rightfully so. It was like transporting back to the states for the evening...minivans and all! I looked around me, and I could have sworn I was at home. Czechs don't typically celebrate Halloween, so this is a great place for expats to take their little ones trick-or-treating. The kids were adorable, and could hardly contain their excitement. Below are some pics and a cute little video.




Here are the cute trick-or-treaters: Lucy, Clark, Sophia, Zara, and Ally.




There was a "grown up" party after that did use the word "singles" in the invite, but I still decided to go. It was a fun time, and I had enough sweets to last the next month.

Some Southern Cookin

When I first arrived to Prague, the Davis's quickly became a huge blessing in my life. Since then, they have continued to be amazing, and a great bonus is the wonderful meals I get to share with them at their home. Last night, me and some other girls from church were invited over to have breakfast for dinner...it was the closest thing to southern cookin I'd had in 10 months!! Pure deliciousness! I forgot what it meant to be really full...thanks Phil&Shanna!!! And of course, thank you to Clark and Lucy (their adorable kids) for the always wonderful entertainment. Here are some pics and a cute video from the evening. The first is a video of the cutest witch and clown you'll ever see (aka Lucy and Clark). They can do magic tricks.

This one is some of my favorite people...starting from the left there's Jackie, Chelsa, Sara, Shanna, then sweet Dot on my lap.

World Domination

This was the headline for ESPN.com describing none other than baseball's greatest team. They did it...the Red Sox swept in the World Series! Congrats!!! And to all my unfortunate Yankees fans...well, don't really feel sorry for you. Maybe it's time to reevaluate your loyalties?

Once

So, saw another movie this week...another one of my students, Petra, and I went to see the movie "Once." I must say I really really enjoyed it...especially the music! First thing I did when I got home was find the soundtrack on itunes. The film was a big winner at the Sundance Film Festival. Glen Hasard, who's the lead singer of The Frames, is the main dude, while the delightful Marketa Irglova(from the Czech Republic!) plays opposite him. You can click HERE for the movies website.

I will say it's not your typical American ending, but from a person who judges pretty harshly by endings, you're still totally able to fall in love with the film. The simplicity that surrounds the movie is awesome. The songs in the film really add dimensions to the movie you can't explain...incredibly moving. So, go see it. It'll be worth it. Here are some of the lyrics:

Falling Slowly

"I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won"

Say It To Me Now

"I'm scratching at the surface now
And I'm trying hard to work it out
So much has gone misunderstood
This mystery only leads to doubt
And I didn't understand
When you reached out to take my hand
And if you have something to say
You'd better say it now

Cause this is what you've waited for
Your chance to even up the score
And as these shadows fall on me now
I will somehow

Cause this is what you've waited for
A chance to even up the score
And as these shadows fall on me now
I will somehow

Cause I'm picking up a message Lord
And I'm closer than I've ever been before

So if you have something to say
Say it to me now
Say it to me now
Say it to me now"

Ikea update

I was overwhelmed during my trip to Ikea yesterday. Me and my friend, Shanna,made a "quick" run to Ikea and the the grocery store, and I was for sure experiencing serious sensory overload! I don't think I had been in a social situation like that in awhile...so many people in such a small area. I managed to acclimate quickly, but it was a little much at first. I will tell you, fellow Praguers, that Ikea has quite a few new additions. We didn't even check out the whole store, but what parts we did check out had some cool new stuff. You should check it out if you're feeling rested and up to it. I went for candles, and of course walked out with a few other "necessities." Thank the Lord for Ikea!

Missing Passion

"If we dared to live beyond our self-concern; if we refused to shrink from being vulnerable; if we took nothing but a compassionate attitude toward the world; if we were a counterculture to our nations lunatic lust for pride of place, power, and possessions; if we preferred to be faithful rather than successful, the walls of indifference to Jesus Christ would crumble. A handful of us could be ignored by society, but hundreds, thousands, millions of such servants would overwhelm the world." -Brennan Manning

I don't know about you, but this statement gets me pretty fired up. I have been praying, seeking, and striving for passion and fire. As of late, I've identified more with a measly candle, when what I really want to be is a blazing inferno. I've grown tired and restless thinking I can just wait for it to come...that I would magically wake up one morning, and there it would be...passion in a nice little box with a red shiny bow. I, instead, decided to take the proactive approach...the Word, music, other believers, books, past journals, and, of course, prayer. I think God likes to see us crave Him as much as we appear to crave things in this world. If we want something bad enough, we make it happen, right? So, why should it be any different with Him? Are you content with where you are with God? Is it enough? OR are you settling? I'm pretty sure there is far more depth to our relationship with Him then what we have. I'm not sure our minds can even begin to imagine the magnitude of the relationship He wants to have with us.

So, back to the quote above...a challenge for me, and hopefully for you...dare to live, don't shrink back, overflow with compassion, strive to be counterculture, rise above mediocrity, and cling to faith. If we all dared to live like this, just think of the amazing things that might come of it..."hundreds, thousands, millions of such servants would overwhelm the world."

One day He will return, and I pray until that day comes that more and more people will be obedient to the stirs and in their heart to reach the billions of lost souls in this world. One day...

And from Mr John Piper...

"God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshippers for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose."

Violence in the world

Monday night I went with a group of students to see a movie. As usual, I didn't know what movie we were seeing, and my student, who speaks impeccable English, temporarily lost the ability to translate a title. See, she knows i HATE scary movies, so I could safely assume it was a movie I wasn't going to be too excited about. I just made her promise me it wasn't the latest Saw movie or any other horror thing that was out there. Well, it ended up being the new Jodi Foster movie, I think it's called The Brave One. I had no idea what it was about, but, historically, her movies are usually out there and scary. I informed Anna I would be covering my eyes and ears...a lot...possibly even a scream or two. I'm the biggest wuss ever in scary movies!!

Well, the movie was pretty darn scary, but more than that, it was intense and graphic. As I was sitting there watching, I thought to myself, "America is a scary and dangerous place! I'm not sure I want to go back there." Yes, I know it's a movie, but stuff like that happens. Maybe not exactly like that, but it happens. It seems things like that don't happen here...at all. Why is that? Why is it so different here than at home? What makes people here so different from people at home?

Living in a different country for the past 10 months has been a pretty big eye opener. I really feel safe here in Prague. Safe to do things I would NEVER do in America. For instance, I can walk home by myself day or night and feel pretty safe. I would never think of doing that at home. I never really thought America was any more violent a place than any other country. In fact, compared to the craziness in the Middle East or North Africa, I thought we were pretty safe. Living here has showed me a whole new world. My Czech students have often asked me if the stories they here are true...people murdering, raping, beating each other. At first I was surprised by this question. I assumed that stuff happens everywhere. But, I've learned that things like that don't necessarily happen everywhere...at least not in the Czech Republic. And in the few times they do happen, people are just in complete and total shock. I think I had become use to, and ,therefore, desensitized to violence. Don't get me wrong, I'm always sad and feel for the people involved, but a couple minutes later you move on...to the next gruesome story in the news. I just find it odd and perplexing how people can be so similar yet so different.

Cultural lesson #105

I don't often take things to get dry cleaned, but when I do, you better believe it's a pretty big load. Now that it's back to sweater season, I quickly realized I still had not had my sweaters dry cleaned from last season! (Horrible problem, I know) So, a friend of mine, Adrianne, took them in for me since she was having to pick something up herself. I met her later, and she gave me the ticket to pick them up later with. (You have to have a ticket here, good ol last name just isn't enough.) Of course, I ended up loosing the ticket. I kept thinking I needed to ask Adrianne what I was suppose to do since I lost my ticket...I kept putting it off and putting it off. Well, I finally remembered yesterday, and when I told her her eyes got huge. Not the most comforting response...obviously, I reluctantly asked if that was a bad thing. (Hoping her response was prompted by something other than the current conversation going on.) She proceeded to tell me that not only is it not great I lost the ticket, but, apparently, they only hold your clothes for 30 days. After that I guess they go to the land of left dry cleaning, wherever that is. As I began counting the days, that turned into weeks, I realized it had been about 30 days. I took it pretty well at first, but as I began processing what was there, I realized it was over $200 worth of sweaters! Not terrific news...They don't really speak English at my dry cleaners, but, fortunately for me, Adrianne's fluent in Czech. She graciously offered to go down today and try to figure things out for me. I got a text saying no luck the first try, that they only had one lady working, so she would have to wait for her co-worker to come in and look later. SO, at noon I met Adrianne up there to see if they had found it. Well, they hadn't. She said her co-worker had (conveniently enough) just left, and she would look when she got back...again. I suppose she saw the sadness and distress all over my face, because she started looking herself a couple minutes after telling us to wait. Turns out she found it pretty much immediately, and made me a very happy girl. Thanks Adrianne!!! And the moral of the story is...don't loose your dry cleaning ticket.

Informing or Transforming?

This is the question I've been asking myself lately. Am I using the Word for informative purposes or is it transforming my life? I like to listen to podcast by Mark Driscoll (highly recommend him), and was recently listening to a podcast he did on scripture. Honestly, when I began listening to this particular podcast I was expecting it to be a bit more "informative" and less in my face kind of stuff. Really not sure why I'd be thinking that to be possible, because I've never really crossed a talk from Driscoll that didn't have significant impact. He began talking about the different ways people read the Bible, more so, the different approaches people take in reading the Bible. So, why do I read the Bible? Is it an "object of information, or transformation?" Does it feed me? Does it purify, break, restore, and comfort me? Is it my sword? My ultimate Truth? Am I really living out the words I've read over and over again? Loving my neighbor? Forgiving others? Am I truly walking in the light? Or am I only partially walking in the light? These seem like pretty cliche and broad questions, but I am finding myself in a current season of apathy in my walk, and these questions are good places to jump from. So, I'm diving head first...

"Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." James 1:21-25

I hate goodbyes...

I really am starting to hate goodbyes...as I said goodbye to my parents a few weeks ago, I was kinda curious as to how hard it was going to be. The last goodbye I had with them was brutal! One of the hardest, longest cries ever. I knew it wasn't going to be that hard, but wondered if taking them to the airport would leave me wishing I were getting on the plane with them. Turns out it wasn't that hard. Don't get me wrong, I was sad to see them go, but there was a part of me that was looking forward to gettin back to normal life. Plus, with how fast the months are flying by, I knew in no time at all I'd be landing in Texas to be with them for Christmas. NOW, I'm on the brink of another goodbye to two of my good friends from Ostrava.(See pic above) Mike and Jacqueline were living in Ostrava, where Mike was playing baseball for the Arrows team. Well, they're flying home to Canada in the morning, and they're not sure they're coming back :0(. Fortunately, they are staying with me their last few days, but I'm still (very)sad to see them go. I just met them 9 months ago, but feel like I've known them forever! There season is over, and it's time for them to go home. Seriously, time is flying by at a ridiculous pace. Has it really been 9 months that I've been here? Is my time here really halfway through? Kinda freaks me out, and I'm really not sure how I feel about it. I had a great talk with my director's wife, Adrianne, last week, and we got to catch up on life. They've been crazy busy with remodeling and moving into their new house, so we really haven't been able to just sit and see how we each were doing in quite some time. I have to admit, I think it was more me talking and her listening, but it was a blessing all the same. I got to get a lot of stuff out I hadn't really been able to talk about, one being my time here. I had already started thinking about staying the full 2 years instead of just 18 months, but she informed me that it might be possible for me to stay until summer of 09. I had no idea that was even an option. So, looks like I might be stayin longer! But who really knows what God is up to...guess I'll just have to wait and see. Pray you're having a wonderful day!! Be back soon!!

Crazy year for football

Good gracious, so much going on in football this year. I'll start with the short, but of course exciting, one on my list...I was fortunate enough to catch the amazing game lastnight (Packers v. Vikings) and see history happen. It's a rarity I get to see American football, and the fact I happened to get to watch on such a night was super fun. I had posted a couple weeks ago that my favorite QB and yours had just tied the all time record for TD passes. Well, last night he passed Mr Marino and officially became the new TD King. So, that means Mr Favre currently holds several records...a few being; wins as a starter (151), pass attempts (8,394), most career points by a QB (2,604), pass completions, and TD passes(422) to name a few. Mrs Deanna Favre is one lucky lady!



So, LSU is now number one, which, frankly, I'm pretty happy about. I don't hate USC, just tired of seeing them at number 1 when I think others are good enough to be there. USC is still ranked number 2, followed by Cal. Nothing looks to crazy in the next couple spots. You have OSU and Wisconsin, but who's after that? South Florida? Boston College? Kentucky? Yes, Kentucky. What?!?! Is this crazy to anyone else? And where is Michigan? Texas? Florida? West Virginia? All the preseason picks? Well, Michigan is taking care of business, but unfortunately it's a little to late, and not enough to get pack on the list. And Texas? They stinkin lost to Kansas State!!! This game looked awfully familiar. Does anyone remember last years game against Kansas St? Lost 45-42, and took McCoy out of the game. This year, almost the exact same thing. Lost 41-21, and almost took Mr McCoy out. Definitely some deja vu goin on. And tons of upsets otherwise; number 18 South Florida beat number 5 West Virginia, unranked Colorado beat number 3 Oklahoma, unranked Auburn beat number 4 Florida, poor Penn State lost to Illinois (which, by the way, is Illinois first win against a ranked team since 2001), and finally, for the saddest news(kind of), Notre Dame is officially 0-5, loosing to Purdue, which is just above loosing to Illinois. Seven of the top 13 teams fell yesterday. Not sure if I'm happy I'm across the world unable to watch, or if I'm hating being across the world unable to watch. Alright, done talkin football. I'll be back later. Have a wonderful day today!!!