header photo by Angela Josephine

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Monday, December 5, 2011

Thanksgiving plus

Well, I am frustrated as my computer has a trojan and I have some, but not all of my pictures.  I was going to write a blog with pictures of our Thanksgiving celebration.  Now, I will tell you about it.

Our colleague, Renee, and I made Thanksgiving for 40 people on Thanksgiving day.  This was complicated by the fact that we live 45 minutes away and the food, obviously would be cold by the time we got it to Klub.  So, we loaded the car with 2 apple pies, 1 apple crisp, 3 pumpkin pies, 20 kg of potatoes to make mashed potatoes, fixings to stuffing, one cooked, sliced turkey, one cooked turkey, hot when it was put in the car!, cranberry sauce, pickles, serving bowls, spoons, plates, pans to cook the food in, frozen green beans and bacon to cook for in the beans and all the spices required to finish/cook the food.

We drove to Vlasim, dropped off what we could leave in the Klub room and drove to our colleagues' apartment in town.  All of this involved many trips up and down from the 2nd floor of the klub building to the 3rd floor of the apartment building.  We were tired before we even began in Vlasim!

The stove top was smaller than mine here is and didn't heat as quickly/efficiently as mine does, and the oven was just a bit smaller than mine...so the turkey didn't fit in it! :(  The stuffing and other things did fit and heated up fine.

After working 3 hours more, we were ready to transport all the hot food to the Klub building.  Thankfully, the Berankovi and Tom and the kids were there to help carry it up the stairs and set it in the club room across the hall from Klub Rachel.

I must say that I experienced my first Thanksgiving where I served from my knees as we used the benches from the hall to serve off of as the tables and chairs were all in our Klub room!

Rachel had prepared, in Czech, a powerpoint with pictures and words describing the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.  Then, on to the eating.

Our friends were amazed at all the food and all tried a bit of everything.  The kids found out that they actually liked cranberries!  Some adults found that they like turkey!  Others didn't.  All enjoyed trying the stuffing and beans .  Even though they can be purchased here now, they aren't something "traditionally" Czech so many people had never had them before.

We were happy to send many leftovers (planned) home with them so they would have at least one more good meal!

Friday, we were happy to celebrate Thanksgiving here at home with two of our colleagues.  We even ran the first ever Becker Turkey Trot.  We ran it last year at the YMCA in Indiana.  So, we borrowed the idea and did a 5k run/walk here!  What a great time we had!  Amy even participated in the "real" Turkey Trot in Indiana again.  We did that before eating here.  It made us even more hungry and ready to eat! :)

We are now gearing up for Christmas, as I am sure you all are doing as well.  There are only 12 more days until Amy lands here! We are SO excited and take another paper off of our paper chain every morning to count down the days.

I hope to have a repaired computer soon, although there seem to be other issues than just the trojan.  Who knows, maybe we will be down to one computer again?!  In the meantime, God bless and keep in touch!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Fall happenings - pictures

Reach Global Prague City Team at our Compass Planning meetings October 2011



Hannah dressed as an elf October 31 2011
Matt dressed as...(what else?!)...a welcome mat.
Tom, Ritch and John at RG Prague City Team (PCT) meetings

Caleb, Judy, John at RGPCT meetings
Sherry and Judy playing the beach ball game
playing "picking up trash" game
Sherry and Renee (mutes) signaling to Ritch what to say to their teammate (blindfolded) gathering "trash".

Tom and Curt...alright boys, break it up!
Ritch leading a meeting
Mindy, Renee, Caleb, Vicky adding their notes to the board.
Our team playing the treasure hunt...total of 2 hours or more!  Matt and Renee planned it.

Nate riding on Alex's shoulders.  Matt walking with us.

Nate had the key to the treasure chest!
opening the treasure chest

Alex and Matt making...

slingshots!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

bowling and more

We had a fun family outing this past Saturday that Tom organized.  We haven't had much of a chance to all be together in a long time as the older two kids are quite busy and Tom and I are as well.  Rachel and Nathanael don't have as hectic a schedule so are mostly with Tom and I.  Anyway, about 1 kilometer away is a sport hotel where we bowled.  http://www.club-hotel-praha.cz/en/sport-en

Tom putting bowling shoes on Nathanael. The shoes were at least three sizes too big!  Made for fun kicking them off!

Matt helping Nathanael

Rachel and Matthew bowling
 After bowling we went our separate ways.  Tom and Rachel had an outing to the new Candy Store in Prague where they sell American candy!  http://www.candy-store.cz/
Matt went to get some supplies for the upcoming Compass Planning meetings where he is in charge of the kids program along with another MK.
Hannah, Nathanael and I walked under the highway and through the woods to our house.  What a fun day we had!

beautiful walk home

Hannah and Nathanael horsing around
Tomorrow we will all be going to a conference center called Immanuel for a long weekend of planning time with the other members of the Prague City Team.  While this is mostly a working weekend, we will also enjoy some down time and time to play with the kids as well.

Please pray that we would listen to and hear God's voice as we seek to lay plans for the next year.  As the kids all hang out together, as well as we adults, we can spread germs easily.  Pray that we would stay healthy!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Fresh from God's Word

I woke this morning and had a great reminder from God's Word and Elisabeth Elliot.

This is what E.E. wrote in A Lamp Unto My Feet.  

 One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today.  If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda that God did not put there.  Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete.  There is always time to do the will of God.  If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.
    Lord, help me to take Your yoke on my shoulder, not a yoke of my own making.  May I learn from You to be gentle and humble hearted.  May I find that your load is light.

As I continue to read in Isaiah, I read Isaiah 65:17-66:2 and was impressed that as I ask God to help me focus on what I am to do and not only what I can do or what comes up to do, He will answer.
 Isaiah 65:24 says... 

"It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. and then in 66:2b "But to this one I will look. to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word."

Good reminder to keep in the Word and listen closely to my Father's voice.  He will continue to lead me as I walk with Him.  He actually works in and through me in spite of myself, I find.  Praise be to God! 

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

I failed, I failed, I failed...

Lest anyone think that I am a perfect cook...
scrapped pizzas from the oven and floor!



Let the record show that I failed at lunch today!  The first pizzas ended up upside down inside the oven and on the oven door. 










After scraping them off, fishing out the bits that fell into the broiler and wiping out the oven, we started again!  Thanks to my fearless helpers we tackled the job again and ended up with success! 







While we were waiting for the pizzas to bake, Nate and I took time out for a dance or two while Rachel was our d.j.





Now that looks better!














Rachel eating her pizza.







Dinosaur boy made an appearance to eat his pizza while Rachel and I ate ours much more ladylike! 





Dinosaur boy a.k.a. Nathanael
















Then, when in the process of updating this blog, Rachel distracted me with this note in front of my face!  See what I have to put up with around here?!

So now, back to finish up our official school day before the day screams ahead and turns into evening.


Dora

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Fall Days


Our days have been full and rewarding.  The kids are settled into school nicely.  Nathanael is pre-reading many things around the house and is looking forward to the next level in Sing, Spell, Read and Write.  All the kids are participating in Christian International School of Prague's History Fair.  As we get more done towards it we will pass on some pictures!

Today is Sunday and I am home as I am recovering from a flu/sore throat sickness so am home today.  Nathanael and I are about to have a short church service together.

Enjoy the pictures and video from our life.  Write when you get a chance!

Nathanael warming up after calling birds to eat.

Nathanael playing football next door.

Nate and our neighbor boy playing football
note that Nate doesn't know that you can't stop and pick up the ball and try to head it into the goal at the end! :)