quickie update

Top: Rachel and Tom
huge Tulip Tree flowers
bottom: our favorite park...3 minute walk from our house
pretty tree in our yard

Hi all!

Long time no update...I know. This will be a brief synopsis of the last weeks...

planning for upcoming Czech Summit in TX (making posters for our Prague City Team, figuring some of the decorations, making brochures, etc.)

making graduation plans for our dear daughter Amy (June 10 in Prague)

doing school with Rachel (done May 28!)

cleaning/cooking, and other normal "Mom" jobs

emergency drop all other things and go spend about 2 weeks total helping my brother and his wife and family as they decided on and then packed for a medical trip back to the US (they fly out today!)

buying tickets for our return to the US (June 15)

talking with Amy and Tom through college or gap year options for Amy

buying airline tickets for Amy and Tom to be in London to visit the two colleges where she is accepted there (fly out tomorrow and return Thursday - God willing the volcano doesn't disrupt this!)

figuring out Matt's summer Germany language opportunities and ensuing separate flight to the US (still confirming, but probably returning to the US July 15)

watching God form a Roma church in Vlasim. Next week there will be a baby dedication! These people are asking questions about God, Jesus, baptism and trying to figure out what that means for them.

I can't think what else, although I am whipped and am spending this morning, while Rachel is being tested, enjoying time alone with Nate and catching my tail! (Thanks Mindy/SHARE)

Thanks for praying for us!

Grandparents (2) - Austria vacation

So here are pictures...

Nathanael and Rachel with new bunnies
Hannah's new bunny

Plansee...a favorite place nearby
Family picture
crazies going in the water...yes that is ICE on the sand and yes there was ice on the water...a friend of Amy's who went after us has to do whatever Amy photographs with the duck...

Rachel and Nate throwing rocks


beautiful scenery guys walk
Hannah petting the sheep

Garmisch swimming pool...a Becker tradition

Pizza Hut after swimming...yum!

It even snowed one day!

Easter basket being made by the girls and Grandma


Nature park near Reutte, Austria


birders seen from the top of a lookout tower

Nate is clearly not afraid of heights as he looks through the slats down
beautiful rock

group shot near the lookout tower
Playing rocks

We relaxed and spent some good time together. I don't happen to have pictures of the skiing/snowboarding trip. Amy and Matt and Tom went to the top of the Zugspitze for two days of fun...at almost 3000m.

Grandparents (1)

We had such a nice time with Tom's parents on their visit here. They were here for almost two full weeks. What a blessing to have such encouraging parents who talk with our kids and encourage them as well. Thanks for coming Grandma and Papa! We love you!

Enjoy the pictures.

Papa and Nathanael watching a show while Papa tries to stay awake...hard to arrive in the a.m.!

Rachel's truffles

Papa and Nate

Grandma and Nathanael playing Memory

Grandma, Hannah and I made a day trip to Boleslawiec, Poland for pottery.

singing out of tune

I am currently reading he book, "canyouhearme" by Brad Jersak.

In one part of the book, Brad talks about how God still uses parables (daily events) to speak to us. He says, " The most common parable events happen right beneath my nose.
My children mirror my behaviour in such a way that God has
an endless supply of illustrations with which to confront me.
I hear myself telling them, "You wouldn't have fallen down and
hurt yourself if you had listened to me and obeyed the first
time!" Then I lift my face to heaven and tell the Lord with some
annoyance, "Yes, I caught that one!" *

As I sat reflecting on life's everyday occurrences and how God is surely in each of them as He intensely cares and allows and plans for each thing that happens, I recalled our trip from Reutte, Austria to Pruhonice, Czech Republic where I was driving with Rachel and Nathanael riding in the back. Rachel was holding the "Wee Sing America" songbook and Nathanael and she were singing along with the tape on our way. Rachel was singing sometimes off pitch and Nathanael was singing the words he knew and then sometimes he made up nonesense words that "fit" in the spaces. Tom's dad, affectionately called Papa by the kids, was sitting in the front seat.

As I reflected on that I saw how much God is pleased with me when I speak in Czech "out of tune" (not proper Czech) or somehow else not entirely perfect. Sometimes reading words not really Czech or speaking not perfectly still brings God pleasure because I don't mind boldly speaking it so others can hear. Some people (Czechs, Roma) aren't put off by my speaking "out of tune" sometimes because they can clearly still her and understand the idea. Even made up words (Czenglish)or words I use that I don't understand the full meaning of will a) bring joy and b) still reach hearts. Some hear and join in the "song" and others are encouraged by the hearing of it. That brings God pleasure as we are joining Him in His song and He uses it and makes it valuable.

May God help me to continue to look for and see Him in "everyday" occasions because He is certainly there! I'd love to hear ways you have seen God's involvement in your everyday experiences. I know I'm not alone in this!

* "canyouhearme?" Tuning in to the God who speaks Brad Jersak USA: Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI 49501 2006

Paris with Sisters and Nieces (2)

So, after a long pause, thanks to visiting grandparents (yes there will be a post about that!), I am back to finish up the Paris trip...


Dora, Anita, Deb (sisters!)
.
Amy (mine), Esther (Deb's), Joy (Anita's) Cousins!

Our last morning was spent at the Jardin d'Luxembourg which was located right across the street from the hotel. We took a lot of pictures here!

We then enjoyed a train ride to Versailles and lunch there.
Amy in the metro




cousins at the main gate to Versailles palace


We then traveled back and went to Marais/St Paul area of Paris

where we found an English language bookstore recommended by Rick Steeve's...which I recommend as well. Penelope was friendly and helpful.


We finished up the day at the Eiffel Tower, enjoying the lights from the ground as well as the second level up! What a fun end to our last day.

With safe flights all around, we enjoyed some time with all of us together. We took advantage of all being together with pictures of all the cousins. What a great time with family.

Paris with Sisters and Nieces (1)

Can you believe all the things that we have done in the last months? Tom and I have traveled many places: Tom to Rome, Athens, Amsterdam; I went to Paris. We have attended meetings and conferences and even said "hi" to each other in between!

This trip to Paris was talked about and planned for years and what a fun thing to have the chance to travel together!

My sister Deb and her daughter Esther arrived on a Sunday MORNING! UGH. After a nap in the afternoon, they helped us host a team from Czech that is traveling on a missions trip to the US. They stayed up almost until 10 at night making that the day that had no end for them. In the late morning, we dropped Amy off to travel to Hungary for a preplanned testing time. They left Monday morning by train to visit my brother, sister-in-law and nieces and nephew in Bratislava.

Anita and Joy arrived on Monday afternoon to find me waiting at the wrong place for them! That was such a bummer for all of us. Once we found each other we had a nice time together.

Tuesday was the day that Amy returned home, Esther and Deb came back and we were all together! Even Deb and Anita don't live near each other in the US, so it was fun for them to see each other, too!

Wednesday we flew out of Prague at 6 a.m and arrived in Paris around 7:45. We bought our transportation passes and our museum passes, got out Euro's and used the bathroom before making our way by RER to our hotel. We ended up arriving at the hotel around 11:30.
After a nap, we made our way to Notre Dame and went on a walking tour recommended by Rick Steve's. (Thanks for the book loan, Mindy!) We saw the Deportation museum where 200,000 French Jews were sent to Concentration Camps, walked by the river Seine, saw the Eiffel Tower and the Arch de Triomphe. Amy, Esther, Joy and I went up to the top and looked around.

After supper at a restaurant near the Eiffel Tower, we made our way to the hotel again.

The next day we went to the Louvre, Orsay and walked/shopped on the Champs Elysees and went to a mall that was WAY overpriced for us, so we left and found a place to eat by the hotel instead.