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.

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.

Jirka, Baby Ester, Ester, Amalka, Daniel and I out for a short walk after lunch

Somehow, jam-filled crepes ended up on the kids' heads. :)

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! :) :) :)