Our apartment is trashed. Our suitcases are empty. We both have projects we're still working on. You'd never guess by the looks of things that we're moving internationally tomorrow. There's so much to be done, so this will be our last post until we're in Minnesota again.
The last couple days, we've had to say goodbye to our friends that became our family. There's no good way to do goodbyes. There's never the dramatic music playing like we hear in movies. There aren't the quiet, one on one moments to say all the things we've built inside our imaginations; the hugs and whispers of affection always happen right in the middle of the chaos while everyone is watching and our minds are distracted by the activity around us. Did we get to say all the things we wanted to say? Probably not. But there aren't adequate words, so we'll simplify it to, "I love you."
When people ask us, "What were a few highlights of your time here?" we both joke at first about the amazing food and drinks we experienced; but then we seriously answer, "The people." It's hard to choose just a few pieces of our time with everyone to tell you all about. I'm sure Daniel and I will still be processing this all months down the road. But, the way we saw the people grow and learn and stretch together. The way they treat each other with love like real brothers and sisters. The way they speak about each other and sincerely look out for the best interest of others. The way that strangers welcomed us into their homes without knowing more than 20 words of English. The way our neighbor would knock on our door to show us the view from her balcony. The patience they exemplified when teaching us how to pronounce words or when they agreed to translate for us. The way they ask, "how are you," and really mean it. The countless cups of tea accompanied by conversations of depth and laughter. So much depth and so much laughter. These things and so much more we will miss.
So now as I begin to tidy our belongings and make sense of this current disaster, our hearts are slightly cracking from the pressure of the fullness of our time here. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude, joy, and love. The memories, relationships and experiences that happened here - these aren't the things we leave behind to fill with dust and nostalgia. These are the things we're taking with us, to motivate us, to encourage us, to remind us of God's faithfulness - to fill our hearts with hope and His promises of what is yet to come.
Thank you, Kostel Jinak; thank you, friends of Šumperk, for opening up your lives to us and giving us so much. Thank you, New Hope Church for your encouragement for this to happen. Thank you, friends and family in the States for sacrificing to allow us to do this. We are grateful.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Less Than A Week Left
We're less than a week from returning to Minnesota. Are we excited? I don't know how to answer that; it's bittersweet. We've grown to love these people, this place, this way of doing life. It's going to be hard to return. But, Daniel is looking forward to hot sauce, peppers and bean burritos. I'm looking forward to Dutch Crunch chips. [And of course our cat, family, and friends]. :)
It was a snowy start to 2016 here, but the last few days have warmed up and the snow has turned to slush and melted away for the most part.
It was a snowy start to 2016 here, but the last few days have warmed up and the snow has turned to slush and melted away for the most part.
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| sledding just outside of our apartment
Last week, I hosted a Bible Art Journaling event and I think the girls had a lot of fun. They all were super focused during the Bible study/journaling time, but my personal favorite part was when we came together at the end to show what we'd been working on and what God was teaching us during our journaling. They all said this was a helpful resource.
       
Kostel has been meting on Sunday mornings for the past 2 weeks now instead of the previous regular schedule of Saturday evenings. It seems to be going over well, and we've had a packed Kostel each time! We've also been encouraging people to invite each other over for lunch on Sundays after the service. This past Sunday, we had a delicious meal with Ester, Jirka, and their little girls, Baby Ester and Amalka.
   
As we're finishing our last week here in Sumperk, words can't express the gratefulness we feel for everything we've experienced, the moments we've shared, or the love for the people we've met. After we leave Šumperk, life continues here; so we're trying to do our best with these last interactions and meetings with friends, saying goodbye, enjoying the present.
We have a going away party this Saturday, 5pm, at Kostel Jinak, and we're hoping to see all our friends and acquaintances there and are looking forward to that sweet time together.
Ways You Can Be Praying for Us:
- A sore throat has returned to haunt me these last few days of our time here in Šumperk; please pray for it to go away
- Pray for us to say goodbye well, to communicate well, to be present in the experiences
- Pray for time and stress management as we are beginning to think about packing up and cleaning up here
- Pray all our stuff fits back into our suitcases! :) :) :)
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Monday, January 4, 2016
HAPPY 2016!
The streets of Šumperk are covered in a thin layer of snow and temperatures have dropped; it really feels like winter now. Students have returned to school; everyone else has returned to their offices for work.
Kostel Jinak hosted a fantastically fun New Years party last week; we had delicious food prepared by Chef Petr, karaoke, lots of decorations, and awesome fireworks. Our neighbor was supposed to join us for the event, but she wasn't feeling well; so she handed us a couple plates of treats to bring to Kostel and she stayed home for the night.
Daniel and I took Friday and Saturday to head to Prague together. This was the first time we'd had just us time (36 hours straight) this entire trip! It was relaxing to roam the Prague streets, being familiar with the sights already, enjoying the Christmas markets, taking in all the ornate surroundings, doing whatever we felt like doing. Prague's big New Year's celebration is actually on New Year's Day instead of Eve, so we watched fireworks from the view of the St. Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. One tourist activity that we enjoyed was going to the top of the Astronomical Clock Tower for the birds eye view of Prague. It's only $5 USD; there's quite a wait in line, depending on time of day, but it is worth it! We were pleased to discover that the experience isn't just "go up, look around, come down." There are historical pictures and contextual stories to read as you make your way up the ramp inside the clock tower. At the top, it's a 360 view, and you can take as long as you want to look around. We stayed at the Fusion Hotel (yes, I did choose the hotel because of the name); it was located in between the train station, the city center and the all the shops. It was an incredible location, and we were on the 5th floor so we had a good view. It was one of the lower priced hotels, but it had one of the best continental breakfasts I've ever experienced, was clean, trendy, friendly and helpful staff, and like I mentioned, great location. When in Prague - stay at the Fusion Hotel and go up to the Astronomical Clock Tower, k?
Big news in Kostel: we're meeting on Sunday MORNINGS! We were previously meeting on Saturday evenings, but we're giving this new schedule a whirl to see how it works for everyone. So far, it's a success. We had a PACKED house this week!
This Friday I'm hosting a Bible Art Journaling workshop - I'm hoping people will find it helpful as they're learning how to study their Bibles and deepen their relationship with Christ. I helped with a Bible Art Journaling workshop back in MN through the NHC Arts, and people loved it. I had a woman stop in my office a couple weeks later and say that this new method of processing and studying has transformed the way she listens to teaching in the classroom, on Sundays at church, and how she soaks in God's Word. Hopefully, this can be an effective tool in the Czech context as well.
Soooo...we have just 3 weeks left here, guys! Daniel and I are trying to dig in even further and make the most of our connections.
Ways You Can Be Praying:
- Pray for students as they are finishing their semesters and facing exams over the next couple weeks (the first semester doesn't end until mid-late January here)
- Pray for Sunday mornings to be anticipated vs a dreaded alarm cock
- Pray for Daniel and I to be even more intentional with our time
- Pray for English Conversation this week as we get back into our regular Thursday schedule after a couple weeks off
- Pray for the Bible Art Journaling workshop to be an effective resource
VIDEOS & PICTURES:
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| Karaoke: Lucka & Petr singing, "I Wanna Be A Billionaire" |
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| Karaoke: Daniel & I singing "My Eyes" from Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog |
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| New Years Fireworks! Fireworks Video 1 Fireworks Video 2 Fireworks Video 3 Unedited "Happy New Year!" Kostel Jinak Video |
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| Prague |
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| Inside the Clock Tower |
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| John Lennon wall!!! |
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
How was Christmas?
It's a sunny day in Šumperk!!! I'm going to head into town shortly to purchase a few New Years Eve decoration supplies. But first... a Christmas update!
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| Mirek, Daniel & I |
Daniel and I had a very nice Christmas here; we spent the morning with our neighbor, Pavla; she had invited us to her place for cookies and tea. (I had just woken up when we took the pic, so excuse groggy morning self) -
Pavla came with Daniel and I to Kostel Jinak's 10pm service that night as well. She was so surprised when Daniel never turned toward one of the Catholic churches; that's all she was familiar with. So it was even more surprising when he led her toward the Bata shoe shop, up the stairs, past a second hand shop, and into a room across from a travel agency. Everyone at Kostel was extra gracious with greeting Pavla and welcoming her; we had a handful of visitors that night, so there was excitement all around! Pavla was commenting how amazing it was to see so many young people at a church when the band got up to lead the music - that's when she saw our friend, Bea, playing the saxophone. Pavla's late husband played the saxophone; it's something she tells us about often (perhaps because it is an easy thing to communicate between language barriers, but there is so much love, joy and sentiment in these stories as well). When Pavla heard the saxophone, her night was made! As we walked home that night, Pavla was so excited to learn that our friends, Petr and Lucka, live in a building that she used to live or work in as well! Pavla seemed so pleased with the whole occasion and said she would be interested in joining us again.
Our Christmas Eve afternoon was spent with Vašek, Lida, and Libor; we enjoyed a giant plate of sushi (over 100 pieces), shrimp, carp, potato salad, and tuna. We watched "Home Alone," opened gifts (I played the role of "baby Jesus" to pass out the gifts), and enjoyed each other's company.
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| All that sushi!!!! |
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| Carp & Potato Salad |
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| Photo Credit to Libor! |
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| Photo credit to Libor! Christmas selfie!
Christmas Day, Daniel and I took the opportunity call our families and wish them all a very merry Christmas. We also went to Vašek and Lida's home again to watch a movie and eat leftover Christmas dessert.
Everyone is still on break, relaxing and enjoying these holiday weeks. We're gearing up for a New Years Eve event at Kostel Jinak this week as well. Daniel and I have been trying to get together with people while everyone is a little bit more free right now. And, I'm particularly excited to have a whole day with Daniel this weekend - we're planning on a 1 night trip to visit Prague this Friday/Saturday.
Ways You Can Be Praying -
- pray for continued connection with Pavla, continued excitement from visiting Kostel Jinak, and that she might be interested in joining us again
- pray for visitors to attend New Years Eve with us at Kostel Jinak
- pray for good conversations as Daniel and I meet with people this week
- pray for safety in our travels to Prague
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Extra pics:
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| We went out for pizza 12/23 |
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| We went to a hockey game! |
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| I went walking, here are some of my pics - |
Friday, December 25, 2015
Odds & Ends
Warning: This post is probably a little boring, but it is full of things people have asked about; plus a few odds and ends/lists/stories that have popped into my brain over the past couple months. I'll do an update on Christmas, how it went, thoughts from our neighbor, pictures, etc next time.
Embarrassing/Funny Stories:
- The proper greeting in all situations here is, "Dobrý den" (good day), "dobrý" meaning, "good." One morning, as I was walking to meet a friend for lunch, I passed by a group of construction workers. As I had just walked by, I heard, "Dobrý!" I had heard this single word used occasionally as a shorted version of "Good day;" so, meaning to not be impolite, I turned back around to wave and return the greeting. A full body-turn and a mid-wave later, I realized, They're saying 'good' as in 'it's all good' to signal each other that it's okay to move their construction supplies and truck!" They weren't greeting me after all; but the beginnings of my supposedly-reciprocated gesture had already been spotted. I had to think quickly how to cover my embarrassment. Of course, I turned my wave into a smooth but awkward dance move and pretended to be singing a far-fetched "Dobrý den" version of "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma, and continued on my way.
- The landing after each stair set in our apartment building recently was relabeled to coordinate with the elevator level numbers. Prior to this update, if anyone came over, I'd have to explain, "If you take the stairs, we're on level 5; if you take the elevator, press the button for level 4." I mostly took the stairs, so I always remembered "level 5." However, one day, after a trip to the store for a lot of groceries, I decided, "I'll take the elevator this time." I was relieved not to have to haul all those groceries up all those stairs and I happily climbed in, set down the groceries to give my arms a rest and waited to reach my level. When the elevator doors opened, I went to the door and pulled out my keys to unlock so I could I enter. However, my key wouldn't go all the way in the door handle; I've had the experience in the past where - if Daniel's keys are in the door handle on the opposite side, my keys won't go all the way in. So after trying to jimmy my keys in the handle unsuccessfully, I began knocking on the door and yelling for Daniel to come get his keys out of the opposite handle and let me in. After about 2 1/2 "Daaaaaaniiiiieeeeel" yells, I suddenly realized, *gasp!* This isn't my door! This isn't my entrance rug! This isn't my shoe bench. This isn't my apartment. *gasp!* What if someone is home and they're coming to answer the door - and they think I've been trying to break in - and I don't speak enough Czech to explain myself!!!!!!! I could hear footsteps approaching the door and I was mortified. I grabbed my bags and dashed for the stairwell! I escaped to a shadowy corner just as a woman opened her door and started yelling, "Ano? Ano?! Ano?!!" and a few other things I couldn't understand. She hadn't seen me, so I was okay; but I was so confused how I'd gotten off at the wrong level. I didn't know where I was suddenly. I was totally disoriented with all the excitement. So, I took the elevator back down to ground level, looked in the building entrance to see if my mailbox was there (I thought perhaps I was in the wrong building totally; the idea seemed to make sense at the time). I saw my mailbox, so I knew I was in the correct building. I walked back up the stairs and made it home safely. I must have hit "level 5" for the elevator button originally, instead of level 4. You have no idea how glad I am to have our level numbers all matched up and coordinating with the elevator now.
Things I'm most glad I packed:
- leg warmers
- hat
- paints/markers/art supplies
- a few small gift-y type things
- ground cinnamon
- 1 fancy dress
- Czech phrasebook & dictionary
Things I wish I hadn't packed:
- hand warmers instead of just mittens
- 1 less sweater
- 1 less pair of shoes
- fewer spices (we have a great selection here actually, including a few favorites: red pepper, cumin, basil, and curry)
- 2 fewer necklaces
Things I wish I had packed:
- 1 extra pair of socks
- 1 extra undershirt
What I did pack:
- 2 suitcases total (including the carryon), plus my 1 personal bag/purse; this included: 4 sweaters, 2 undershirts, 2 tshirts, 2 long sleeve shirts, 4 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of pants, [of course underwear], 2 pj's, toiletries, 5 pairs of shoes (both black & brown boots, hiking shoes, dress shoes, and the shoes I wore on the plane), 2 scarves, an umbrella, 5 necklaces/4 sets of earrings
Notes for anyone in the future:
- Just pack 1 week's worth of clothes total
- Bring a few extra small gifts
- Be ready at all times to bake or cook or purchase food from a store; always have snacks on hand
- Language/communication is essential
- Know how to cook from scratch; no box mixes :)
Rare/Non-existent foods in our area:
- Sour Patch Kids candy (non existent)
- hot/spicy foods
- cranberries (I found some at Makro last week but they're not in any stores here in Šumperk; a guy from Kostel who went to cullinary school actually didn't know what cranberries were)
- molasses (non existent)
- brown sugar (non existent; there is raw sugar here that is called "brown sugar" though)
I'm sure this list will grow, morph, perhaps change altogether with time. These are things that came to my mind for now though.
Embarrassing/Funny Stories:
- The proper greeting in all situations here is, "Dobrý den" (good day), "dobrý" meaning, "good." One morning, as I was walking to meet a friend for lunch, I passed by a group of construction workers. As I had just walked by, I heard, "Dobrý!" I had heard this single word used occasionally as a shorted version of "Good day;" so, meaning to not be impolite, I turned back around to wave and return the greeting. A full body-turn and a mid-wave later, I realized, They're saying 'good' as in 'it's all good' to signal each other that it's okay to move their construction supplies and truck!" They weren't greeting me after all; but the beginnings of my supposedly-reciprocated gesture had already been spotted. I had to think quickly how to cover my embarrassment. Of course, I turned my wave into a smooth but awkward dance move and pretended to be singing a far-fetched "Dobrý den" version of "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma, and continued on my way.
- The landing after each stair set in our apartment building recently was relabeled to coordinate with the elevator level numbers. Prior to this update, if anyone came over, I'd have to explain, "If you take the stairs, we're on level 5; if you take the elevator, press the button for level 4." I mostly took the stairs, so I always remembered "level 5." However, one day, after a trip to the store for a lot of groceries, I decided, "I'll take the elevator this time." I was relieved not to have to haul all those groceries up all those stairs and I happily climbed in, set down the groceries to give my arms a rest and waited to reach my level. When the elevator doors opened, I went to the door and pulled out my keys to unlock so I could I enter. However, my key wouldn't go all the way in the door handle; I've had the experience in the past where - if Daniel's keys are in the door handle on the opposite side, my keys won't go all the way in. So after trying to jimmy my keys in the handle unsuccessfully, I began knocking on the door and yelling for Daniel to come get his keys out of the opposite handle and let me in. After about 2 1/2 "Daaaaaaniiiiieeeeel" yells, I suddenly realized, *gasp!* This isn't my door! This isn't my entrance rug! This isn't my shoe bench. This isn't my apartment. *gasp!* What if someone is home and they're coming to answer the door - and they think I've been trying to break in - and I don't speak enough Czech to explain myself!!!!!!! I could hear footsteps approaching the door and I was mortified. I grabbed my bags and dashed for the stairwell! I escaped to a shadowy corner just as a woman opened her door and started yelling, "Ano? Ano?! Ano?!!" and a few other things I couldn't understand. She hadn't seen me, so I was okay; but I was so confused how I'd gotten off at the wrong level. I didn't know where I was suddenly. I was totally disoriented with all the excitement. So, I took the elevator back down to ground level, looked in the building entrance to see if my mailbox was there (I thought perhaps I was in the wrong building totally; the idea seemed to make sense at the time). I saw my mailbox, so I knew I was in the correct building. I walked back up the stairs and made it home safely. I must have hit "level 5" for the elevator button originally, instead of level 4. You have no idea how glad I am to have our level numbers all matched up and coordinating with the elevator now.
Things I'm most glad I packed:
- leg warmers
- hat
- paints/markers/art supplies
- a few small gift-y type things
- ground cinnamon
- 1 fancy dress
- Czech phrasebook & dictionary
Things I wish I hadn't packed:
- hand warmers instead of just mittens
- 1 less sweater
- 1 less pair of shoes
- fewer spices (we have a great selection here actually, including a few favorites: red pepper, cumin, basil, and curry)
- 2 fewer necklaces
Things I wish I had packed:
- 1 extra pair of socks
- 1 extra undershirt
What I did pack:
- 2 suitcases total (including the carryon), plus my 1 personal bag/purse; this included: 4 sweaters, 2 undershirts, 2 tshirts, 2 long sleeve shirts, 4 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of pants, [of course underwear], 2 pj's, toiletries, 5 pairs of shoes (both black & brown boots, hiking shoes, dress shoes, and the shoes I wore on the plane), 2 scarves, an umbrella, 5 necklaces/4 sets of earrings
Notes for anyone in the future:
- Just pack 1 week's worth of clothes total
- Bring a few extra small gifts
- Be ready at all times to bake or cook or purchase food from a store; always have snacks on hand
- Language/communication is essential
- Know how to cook from scratch; no box mixes :)
Rare/Non-existent foods in our area:
- Sour Patch Kids candy (non existent)
- hot/spicy foods
- cranberries (I found some at Makro last week but they're not in any stores here in Šumperk; a guy from Kostel who went to cullinary school actually didn't know what cranberries were)
- molasses (non existent)
- brown sugar (non existent; there is raw sugar here that is called "brown sugar" though)
I'm sure this list will grow, morph, perhaps change altogether with time. These are things that came to my mind for now though.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Christmas in the Czech Republic
Ahoj! I'm sitting at my dining table, drinking a cup of Caramelized Pear tea with a caramel wafer cookie [set the wafer on top of the mug and the caramel melts inside! You can find the same wafer cookies at World Market or Trader Joe's, I believe]. It has been a full few past days! I have found a love for hockey [we went to a local game last night; Šumperk's team lost, but it was so much fun!], we ran a quick trip to Olomouc for a tiny bit of Christmas food and gift shopping, we've had our usual weekly meetings with Vašek, fit in English conversation, enjoyed an English Conversation Christmas "party," attended a kids' Christmas concert, and of course have been prepping for Christmas ourselves.
A couple highlights from the above list of events:
- The English Conversation Christmas "party" was a night with both levels of understanding combined for a Christmas themed conversation. We played more games, giving people the opportunity to share what they like most about winter, brainstorm Christmas-related words to go with each letter of the English alphabet, and talk about what their family's Christmas traditions are. Everyone brought a Christmas treat to share. One guy that attends the conversation works at a candy store. He brought Daniel and I each a Christmas gift - a chocolate CD and a chocolate "ipad."
- The kids' Christmas concert was with the children I help with on Tuesdays. All the parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters came together for this special event. It was a HUGE opportunity for people to brave stepping inside the church!!! The other weekend - for the Christmas concert at Kostel - I had written Christmas-y verses in Czech on painted backgrounds and hung them on pillars inside Kostel. Lida and I both were in awe that God had orchestrated allowing these people to [hopefully] read these Scriptures around Kostel as they watched their children's program. The kids were all dressed up, and they all did an amazing job with their singing, dancing, instrumental debuts and skit. Their talent is incredible! I have a few videos linked at the bottom of this post, but I'm kind of sad I didn't get a clip of them singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" in English.
So what are we doing for Christmas? And, what are the differences between Christmas in the States vs Czech Republic?
Czechs celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve; Christmas Day is more just a day of rest. The typical day starts with a few toasts to the holiday with family, perhaps going for a walk or lighting candles for relatives that have passed; cooking, cooking, and more cooking until the food is ready; eat a lot and continue eating all night. Then, open gifts in the evening. Santa Clause is not a thing here; however, it is said that "Baby Jesus" brings the gifts. I've been asking around if this suggestion of Baby Jesus bringing gifts adds to the idea that Jesus is a mere myth. Some people had never thought of it that way; some have said, "Definitely, yes." I found a few postcards with Santa on them while in Slovakia. A Czech friend here was so excited to see them but laughed, because she knew that these postcards were made for tourists - she said that the red coated "Papa Noel" is from the Russian traditions and guessed the postcards were Russian-made. There are no Christmas stockings here, but my parents were awesome enough to mail Daniel and I each a stocking! Thanks, Mom & Dad!
The food - when I show people the pictures of the Christmas ham that I would normally eat in Minnesota, they say they've never seen anything like this before and that they don't sell them in Czech [I think they do in a larger store here called Makro - similar to Sam's Club, but it's geared toward restaurant and business owners]. Traditionally, Czechs eat carp over potato salad with carp milt soup beforehand. Since carp is super strong though, most people have steered away from that tradition and have opted for schnitzel or salmon. This week, I noticed people rushing in the morning to line up next to big blue barrels next to wooden sheds - I told Daniel, "Something exciting is happening; I just know it!" Sure enough - it was carp for sale!!! People choose their Christmas carp from one of the many stands around town. They catch it in a small net, weigh it, and they can choose to kill it at the moment with a club to the head; or, they can take it home, let it swim in their bathtub and they'll kill it themselves on Christmas Eve so it is fresh for cooking. I failed at getting really good pictures of this process but scroll down for a few shots. There's one other food tradition that I've heard of: the golden pig. I've heard a few versions of this folklore pig.
1. Eat all day and in the evening you will see a golden pig in the street. 2. Wait all day to eat your big meal in the evening and you will see a golden pig. AND 3. Eat vegetarian and you will see a golden pig.
I've been baking in preparation for tomorrow's Christmas Eve celebration. I possibly have royally screwed up the cake. It's supposed to be a vanilla cake with cranberries, pecans and orange zest. I have a backup peach-cobbler in mind though. We're going to Vašek and Lida's home for celebrations; Libor will also be there. We'll be eating sushi, tuna, and a little bit of carp [just for Vašek and I]. At night, Kostel is hosting a Christmas Eve celebration. Daniel and I invited my neighbor, Pavla, and she's excited to attend with us. Please, please, please be praying for her!!! This is her first time in a church apart from an Advent concert! We also invited all those that attend English Conversation with us.
Christmas Day, Daniel and I will exchange gifts, open our stockings, and I'll make soup. This is a long post, so I'll wrap it up now. Enjoy a few pictures & videos below! And, as we say in Czech - Veselé Vánoce! Merry Christmas!
A couple highlights from the above list of events:
- The English Conversation Christmas "party" was a night with both levels of understanding combined for a Christmas themed conversation. We played more games, giving people the opportunity to share what they like most about winter, brainstorm Christmas-related words to go with each letter of the English alphabet, and talk about what their family's Christmas traditions are. Everyone brought a Christmas treat to share. One guy that attends the conversation works at a candy store. He brought Daniel and I each a Christmas gift - a chocolate CD and a chocolate "ipad."
- The kids' Christmas concert was with the children I help with on Tuesdays. All the parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters came together for this special event. It was a HUGE opportunity for people to brave stepping inside the church!!! The other weekend - for the Christmas concert at Kostel - I had written Christmas-y verses in Czech on painted backgrounds and hung them on pillars inside Kostel. Lida and I both were in awe that God had orchestrated allowing these people to [hopefully] read these Scriptures around Kostel as they watched their children's program. The kids were all dressed up, and they all did an amazing job with their singing, dancing, instrumental debuts and skit. Their talent is incredible! I have a few videos linked at the bottom of this post, but I'm kind of sad I didn't get a clip of them singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" in English.
So what are we doing for Christmas? And, what are the differences between Christmas in the States vs Czech Republic?
Czechs celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve; Christmas Day is more just a day of rest. The typical day starts with a few toasts to the holiday with family, perhaps going for a walk or lighting candles for relatives that have passed; cooking, cooking, and more cooking until the food is ready; eat a lot and continue eating all night. Then, open gifts in the evening. Santa Clause is not a thing here; however, it is said that "Baby Jesus" brings the gifts. I've been asking around if this suggestion of Baby Jesus bringing gifts adds to the idea that Jesus is a mere myth. Some people had never thought of it that way; some have said, "Definitely, yes." I found a few postcards with Santa on them while in Slovakia. A Czech friend here was so excited to see them but laughed, because she knew that these postcards were made for tourists - she said that the red coated "Papa Noel" is from the Russian traditions and guessed the postcards were Russian-made. There are no Christmas stockings here, but my parents were awesome enough to mail Daniel and I each a stocking! Thanks, Mom & Dad!
The food - when I show people the pictures of the Christmas ham that I would normally eat in Minnesota, they say they've never seen anything like this before and that they don't sell them in Czech [I think they do in a larger store here called Makro - similar to Sam's Club, but it's geared toward restaurant and business owners]. Traditionally, Czechs eat carp over potato salad with carp milt soup beforehand. Since carp is super strong though, most people have steered away from that tradition and have opted for schnitzel or salmon. This week, I noticed people rushing in the morning to line up next to big blue barrels next to wooden sheds - I told Daniel, "Something exciting is happening; I just know it!" Sure enough - it was carp for sale!!! People choose their Christmas carp from one of the many stands around town. They catch it in a small net, weigh it, and they can choose to kill it at the moment with a club to the head; or, they can take it home, let it swim in their bathtub and they'll kill it themselves on Christmas Eve so it is fresh for cooking. I failed at getting really good pictures of this process but scroll down for a few shots. There's one other food tradition that I've heard of: the golden pig. I've heard a few versions of this folklore pig.
1. Eat all day and in the evening you will see a golden pig in the street. 2. Wait all day to eat your big meal in the evening and you will see a golden pig. AND 3. Eat vegetarian and you will see a golden pig.
I've been baking in preparation for tomorrow's Christmas Eve celebration. I possibly have royally screwed up the cake. It's supposed to be a vanilla cake with cranberries, pecans and orange zest. I have a backup peach-cobbler in mind though. We're going to Vašek and Lida's home for celebrations; Libor will also be there. We'll be eating sushi, tuna, and a little bit of carp [just for Vašek and I]. At night, Kostel is hosting a Christmas Eve celebration. Daniel and I invited my neighbor, Pavla, and she's excited to attend with us. Please, please, please be praying for her!!! This is her first time in a church apart from an Advent concert! We also invited all those that attend English Conversation with us.
Christmas Day, Daniel and I will exchange gifts, open our stockings, and I'll make soup. This is a long post, so I'll wrap it up now. Enjoy a few pictures & videos below! And, as we say in Czech - Veselé Vánoce! Merry Christmas!
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| Mistletoe being sold in town |
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| Hanging out after our Christmas English Conversation |
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| Hanging out after our English Conversation |
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| A familiar sight! Salvation Army still does bell-ringing here! |
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| One of the carp stations in town |
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| Choosing a carp |
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| the Carp |
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| Kids preparing for the Christmas program |
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| Kids doing their Christmas program skit SHORT VIDEOS from the KIDS' PROGRAM: Video 1 Video 2 |
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| We couldn't miss the Star Wars movie - even while abroad; these amazing people dressed for the occasion!!! A few belated videos from the Kostel concert the other weekend: Tereza & Lida Lida Trocha Klidu they're a big deal here! |
Ways You Can Pray for Us:
- we have just 1 month left; pray that we can keep present-minded & use every moment as a gift for God and His purposes
- pray for us to have the spiritual sensitivity, the eyes to see and ears to hear the ways that we can be making the most of our last month here
- pray for Pavla's experience at Kostel. It is a more casual, relaxed time to hang out together tomorrow really, but it's hard to fully explain that to her with our limited language abilities. Pray that she really enjoys her time, that she'll feel included and not out of place [for being most likely the oldest person there]
- pray for our English Conversation friends to attend the Christmas Eve gathering at Kostel
- pray for our families in the States to still be filled with the fullest joy at Christmas despite our absence
- pray for new believers here to really feel the specialness and understand more fully the meaning of Christmas
- as with any event, holiday or special occasion, pray against the potential stresses or little ways that Satan tries to rob us of our joy
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