if you've watched the video on my sidebar (i'm not telling you to, in fact, i'd beg that you not watch it. but if you have watched it...), you'll notice how very awkward tessa and i are acting. really that's not how we interact with each other in real life. you should see the first couple videos we made. just kidding, you shouldn't. ever.
but today we made it through speaking for TEN MINUTES in front of maybe FIFTY PEOPLE without being so awkward! (phew!) i didn't say um after every word. we knew what to do with our eyes while the other person was speaking. sure we messed up a couple words here and there, but no big deal (NBD), right? they even interacted by nodding their heads when I said, "if you've ever heard of John Huss"...! i think i've finally moved past my terrible high school oral speech abilities (i groan just at the thought).
what a blessing Lancaster Grace has been to us. first they open a fund for our trip, and then they don't judge us on our speaking abilities. in fact, they rather welcomed us in. i hope that the kindness of others continues to be a theme in our trip.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
folder of happiness.
[i just googled "how long do we hold memories?" the first line of the first site said, "You seemingly simple question leads us into an intricate maze of neurons...."
And i was lost at "neurons." i moved onto an article by "How Stuff Works." much more my speed.]
i used to have a box of happiness, but Maggie chewed it up when she was a puppy because i so ignorantly left it under my bed.
and just what would a box of happiness contain? you may ask (though probably weren't). in periods of sadness, i always enjoy peeking inside the box to see tangible ways in which i have been shown love. notes, gifts, pictures.
when maggie chewed it up, i just kind of threw my things into another box only to be forgotten about. now going through it i don't remember why everything is in there, or what some items or notes are, or even who they're from in some instances. still, at the time, i'm sure it brought me great happiness.
a couple years ago i started a folder of happiness after an extremely rough, disappointing, not-what-i-had-expected semester/year of college. i'm still adding to it. it's extremely full.
but writing things down in general tends to help me remember happy memories - any memories. there's no straight-up answer to the question i threw at google (answer the dang question, google!), but generally repitition helps move thoughts into long-term memory. repitition helps move thoughts into long-term memory. repitition helps move thoughts into long-term memory. (ok, enough)
and so, onto happiness, and the hope that sharing my happy thoughts with the blogging world will help me remember when i'm feeling what i'm sure will be over-dramatic sadness.
i have a favorite student. i know you shouldn't have favorites, but i have one, and she is loud and annoying and just so lovable! i shall call her Fave.
she sits in the back corner of the classroom and because she's an oral processor, has times of "confession" to herself that the rest of the classroom can hear because she is just always loud. it's stuff like "oh yeah, i shouldn't have that," and when questioned about what she shouldn't have, generally silly bands or something of the like are disposed of.
Fave and i have recently been forming a bond. we played candy land the other day at break and every time i turned around she took a turn, or several turns, when it was clearly not hers to take. really she's quite cunning. i love that she's so...well, BA.
and recently Fave has been confessing things specifically to me, and she's even been whispering because she knows i can't stand when she talks so loudly when she's standing right next to me. at the end of the day she came over to my seat and said, in her whispered whiny voice, "shoot, there's a [*self-induced] hole in my shirt."
*she did not say [self-induced], though it was implied by when i saw they cut-up hole in the middle of her shirt.
oh, Fave, i said. you ruined another one of your shirts.
Fave has done this before. that's why she's my fave.
And i was lost at "neurons." i moved onto an article by "How Stuff Works." much more my speed.]
i used to have a box of happiness, but Maggie chewed it up when she was a puppy because i so ignorantly left it under my bed.
and just what would a box of happiness contain? you may ask (though probably weren't). in periods of sadness, i always enjoy peeking inside the box to see tangible ways in which i have been shown love. notes, gifts, pictures.
when maggie chewed it up, i just kind of threw my things into another box only to be forgotten about. now going through it i don't remember why everything is in there, or what some items or notes are, or even who they're from in some instances. still, at the time, i'm sure it brought me great happiness.
a couple years ago i started a folder of happiness after an extremely rough, disappointing, not-what-i-had-expected semester/year of college. i'm still adding to it. it's extremely full.
but writing things down in general tends to help me remember happy memories - any memories. there's no straight-up answer to the question i threw at google (answer the dang question, google!), but generally repitition helps move thoughts into long-term memory. repitition helps move thoughts into long-term memory. repitition helps move thoughts into long-term memory. (ok, enough)
and so, onto happiness, and the hope that sharing my happy thoughts with the blogging world will help me remember when i'm feeling what i'm sure will be over-dramatic sadness.
i have a favorite student. i know you shouldn't have favorites, but i have one, and she is loud and annoying and just so lovable! i shall call her Fave.
she sits in the back corner of the classroom and because she's an oral processor, has times of "confession" to herself that the rest of the classroom can hear because she is just always loud. it's stuff like "oh yeah, i shouldn't have that," and when questioned about what she shouldn't have, generally silly bands or something of the like are disposed of.
Fave and i have recently been forming a bond. we played candy land the other day at break and every time i turned around she took a turn, or several turns, when it was clearly not hers to take. really she's quite cunning. i love that she's so...well, BA.
and recently Fave has been confessing things specifically to me, and she's even been whispering because she knows i can't stand when she talks so loudly when she's standing right next to me. at the end of the day she came over to my seat and said, in her whispered whiny voice, "shoot, there's a [*self-induced] hole in my shirt."
*she did not say [self-induced], though it was implied by when i saw they cut-up hole in the middle of her shirt.
oh, Fave, i said. you ruined another one of your shirts.
Fave has done this before. that's why she's my fave.
Monday, January 30, 2012
current prayer needs...
things are progressing, and as things are moving forward there seem to be more hindrances. so be praying that things go well on the legal end of this...as we're getting visas and work permits things are getting tougher.
and pray as we begin raising support. it's tough for us to ask people for money!
and finally, be praying for our hearts. the more i think about this trip the more fear i have. those little "what ifs" can be major trouble.
and meditate on this:
"And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you ezperience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully."
Ephesians 3:18-19
and pray as we begin raising support. it's tough for us to ask people for money!
and finally, be praying for our hearts. the more i think about this trip the more fear i have. those little "what ifs" can be major trouble.
and meditate on this:
"And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you ezperience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully."
Ephesians 3:18-19
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
forgotten/remembered
i can overthink things sometimes. that said...
i was thinking about how sad it is that everyone is just forgotten sooner or later. even the movers and shakers of the world are just forgotten. i'll bet that if the new Penn State coach has a good season, JoePa won't be a household name anymore. on MLK day i didn't even think about how King revolutionized American history. everyone's just forgotten. how sobering, especially for one who's not a revolutionary.
but as i began my self-deprecation, i began to think about someone who thought she had nothing going for her. who felt she had no talents.
but this woman birthed seven children, watched one die as a baby, survived breast cancer - twice - and had 22 grandchildren. what a legacy.
my grandma probably thought that she would just be forgotten because she thought she was good at nothing. but her six kids, six children-in-law, and 22 grandchildren could never forget her. because of her i put tape on my bug bites. when i smell trident gum i think of her cutting my hair. i giggle when i remember some of her eccentricities. i couldn't forget her, and i never will.
the most important thing, though, i think of best when i remember her death. in a selfish moment after i found out she had died, i said, "but who's gonna pray for me?"
she was most certainly a pray-er. i knew i could always count on that.
i miss her. this woman who didn't think she'd be remembered could not be forgotten.
i was thinking about how sad it is that everyone is just forgotten sooner or later. even the movers and shakers of the world are just forgotten. i'll bet that if the new Penn State coach has a good season, JoePa won't be a household name anymore. on MLK day i didn't even think about how King revolutionized American history. everyone's just forgotten. how sobering, especially for one who's not a revolutionary.
but as i began my self-deprecation, i began to think about someone who thought she had nothing going for her. who felt she had no talents.
but this woman birthed seven children, watched one die as a baby, survived breast cancer - twice - and had 22 grandchildren. what a legacy.
my grandma probably thought that she would just be forgotten because she thought she was good at nothing. but her six kids, six children-in-law, and 22 grandchildren could never forget her. because of her i put tape on my bug bites. when i smell trident gum i think of her cutting my hair. i giggle when i remember some of her eccentricities. i couldn't forget her, and i never will.
the most important thing, though, i think of best when i remember her death. in a selfish moment after i found out she had died, i said, "but who's gonna pray for me?"
she was most certainly a pray-er. i knew i could always count on that.
i miss her. this woman who didn't think she'd be remembered could not be forgotten.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
excited/burdened
i started a different entry the other day which i'll finish up later. but i wanted to share about some things i realized tonight.
my mom is an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. Some of her students are members of a Ukrainian/Russian church here in Lancaster, and they were going to be singing and playing piano in a Christmas program tonight. so naturally, since i can't pass up anything european, i went with her.
oh i loved it. it reminded me of what i expect Czech to be like in nine months:
+talented, bilingual teenagers and children. i'm so jealous of them
+absolutely gorgeous women...cause of insecurity :)
+awesome Babickas (Czech word for Grandma) - these older ladies have lived through totalitarian governments, but some of them are really strong Christians. they all wear skirts and scarves and are the greatest cooks. go here to watch a video about one such Babicka: http://deidox.com/films/pastors/?f=LUDMILLAG
+i didn't understand hardly anything. especially because even words on the screen were in russian (totally different alphabet) which gives me even loss context than czech. but i'm at the point still where i love just listening and reading people. i'm sure that will fade after a while in czech once i get frustrated that i can't express myself, but for now i love it
+the people were so eager to serve us and talk to us. one guy came over and insisted that we have a translator and explained everything, and the father of one of my mom's students got us all coffee (though i didn't really want it)
sometimes i get so unbelievably excited that i'm going to czech. this week tessa and i got our prayer cards and started filling out the visa applications which made it all seem so much more real.
when we first decided to go we were so excited that i lost sight of WHY we were going. so i prayed that God would burden me for the czech people again, and then i saw a link to some statistics that an amazing mission's organization found in Czech. here's a summary:
+less than three percent of students in Pardubice are interested in learning more about Christ.
+78.7% of students in Pardubice claim no religious creed
+5.5% believe the church is credible.
+read the full report here: http://clarity-research.net/?page_id=174
these are rough statistics to work around. how do you make the other 95% believe that the church is credible, let alone attend church? how do we reach out to that 79% of students who don't see a need for religion?
let's be praying for these czech people.
my mom is an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. Some of her students are members of a Ukrainian/Russian church here in Lancaster, and they were going to be singing and playing piano in a Christmas program tonight. so naturally, since i can't pass up anything european, i went with her.
oh i loved it. it reminded me of what i expect Czech to be like in nine months:
+talented, bilingual teenagers and children. i'm so jealous of them
+absolutely gorgeous women...cause of insecurity :)
+awesome Babickas (Czech word for Grandma) - these older ladies have lived through totalitarian governments, but some of them are really strong Christians. they all wear skirts and scarves and are the greatest cooks. go here to watch a video about one such Babicka: http://deidox.com/films/pastors/?f=LUDMILLAG
+i didn't understand hardly anything. especially because even words on the screen were in russian (totally different alphabet) which gives me even loss context than czech. but i'm at the point still where i love just listening and reading people. i'm sure that will fade after a while in czech once i get frustrated that i can't express myself, but for now i love it
+the people were so eager to serve us and talk to us. one guy came over and insisted that we have a translator and explained everything, and the father of one of my mom's students got us all coffee (though i didn't really want it)
sometimes i get so unbelievably excited that i'm going to czech. this week tessa and i got our prayer cards and started filling out the visa applications which made it all seem so much more real.
when we first decided to go we were so excited that i lost sight of WHY we were going. so i prayed that God would burden me for the czech people again, and then i saw a link to some statistics that an amazing mission's organization found in Czech. here's a summary:
+less than three percent of students in Pardubice are interested in learning more about Christ.
+78.7% of students in Pardubice claim no religious creed
+5.5% believe the church is credible.
+read the full report here: http://clarity-research.net/?page_id=174
these are rough statistics to work around. how do you make the other 95% believe that the church is credible, let alone attend church? how do we reach out to that 79% of students who don't see a need for religion?
let's be praying for these czech people.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
who goes to the czech republic?
so before i go on, excuse my numerous amount of "ums" in the video. obviously i'm not a speaker :)
but moving forward, who goes to czech republic? ...a couple years ago a friend asked me what i love about czech so much. i couldn't really give a solid answer. i adore the czech people, enjoy the culture, and honestly the scenery doesn't hurt - whether it's city or countryside! let me show you what i mean.
so first of all, where the heck is czech?
it's pretty much smack dab in the center of europe. which is perfect for traveling (advertisement - we want you to come visit!). it's surrounded by Poland, Slovakia, Germany, and Austria. we will be living in Pardubice and living in Hradec Kralove (both pretty much exactly east of Prague).
we've worked with the church in Pardubice several times before, though my last three english camps have all been on the Moravian side of Czech (far east - close to the Polish and Slovak borders).
i think that every town and city in Czech has a town square - this is Pardubice's. they're all quaint and beautiful. most have a statue, some have towers, and there are shops and restaurants around the square. i just love town squares!
and here is the capital - Prague. the first picture is one that i took of the cathedral and astrological tower.
the one below is from Wenceslas Square (remember God King Wenceslas? he was czech :))
and finally: the Charles bridge and the castle
but the best part is the mountains. i've spent the most time in the Beskydy mountains on the eastern side of czech.
this is hotel malenovice, my favorite place in the world, tucked away in the beskydy mountains!
pictures just don't do this land justice!
but moving forward, who goes to czech republic? ...a couple years ago a friend asked me what i love about czech so much. i couldn't really give a solid answer. i adore the czech people, enjoy the culture, and honestly the scenery doesn't hurt - whether it's city or countryside! let me show you what i mean.
so first of all, where the heck is czech?
it's pretty much smack dab in the center of europe. which is perfect for traveling (advertisement - we want you to come visit!). it's surrounded by Poland, Slovakia, Germany, and Austria. we will be living in Pardubice and living in Hradec Kralove (both pretty much exactly east of Prague).
we've worked with the church in Pardubice several times before, though my last three english camps have all been on the Moravian side of Czech (far east - close to the Polish and Slovak borders).
i think that every town and city in Czech has a town square - this is Pardubice's. they're all quaint and beautiful. most have a statue, some have towers, and there are shops and restaurants around the square. i just love town squares!
and here is the capital - Prague. the first picture is one that i took of the cathedral and astrological tower.the one below is from Wenceslas Square (remember God King Wenceslas? he was czech :))
and finally: the Charles bridge and the castle
but the best part is the mountains. i've spent the most time in the Beskydy mountains on the eastern side of czech.
this is hotel malenovice, my favorite place in the world, tucked away in the beskydy mountains!
pictures just don't do this land justice!
Monday, December 5, 2011
czech! yay!
praise God, things are finally moving forward with this czech trip!
so here we go: on the side you'll see a video featuring Tessa and me! you can hear more about what we'll be doing in czech by watching the video. i'll post a little bit more throughout the week about a bit of czech history, where czech is (does anyone know?), how Czechs view Christians, and just go more in depth with where we'll be and what we'll be doing.
for now, if you're interested in giving either a one time gift or monthly, you can let me know or just send a check to the address on the sidebar.
and most important!! don't skip this!
PRAY FOR US!
this is all such a new challenge. as Tessa and i prepare to head over we'd love your support and encouragement and prayer. there's a lot to get done before we leave in nine months, and at times it's seemed a bit overwhelming and taxing. but we're getting there, and God continues to find ways to burden us for the Czech people and remind us why we're actually going. we love czech people and want to share God's saving love with them.
and again, excitement ensues! sometimes i can't believe i'm actually finally moving to czech!
i'd also encourage you to read this post and this post to see some pictures and read about my past experiences in czech!
so here we go: on the side you'll see a video featuring Tessa and me! you can hear more about what we'll be doing in czech by watching the video. i'll post a little bit more throughout the week about a bit of czech history, where czech is (does anyone know?), how Czechs view Christians, and just go more in depth with where we'll be and what we'll be doing.
for now, if you're interested in giving either a one time gift or monthly, you can let me know or just send a check to the address on the sidebar.
and most important!! don't skip this!
PRAY FOR US!
this is all such a new challenge. as Tessa and i prepare to head over we'd love your support and encouragement and prayer. there's a lot to get done before we leave in nine months, and at times it's seemed a bit overwhelming and taxing. but we're getting there, and God continues to find ways to burden us for the Czech people and remind us why we're actually going. we love czech people and want to share God's saving love with them.
and again, excitement ensues! sometimes i can't believe i'm actually finally moving to czech!
i'd also encourage you to read this post and this post to see some pictures and read about my past experiences in czech!
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