Pizza and Movie Night

We've started a little tradition in our family. Every Friday night is homemade pizza and movie night. Jack is really getting into and LOVES it. His favorite part is watching the pizza dough in the mixer. He also helps make the pizza and puts out our red and white checkered plastic table cloth so we can have "pizza picnic". These pics were from a couple of weeks ago when we watched "The Tigger Movie".

What is about to happen?

This is day 6 of me living in my pajamas. It started out Monday morning when I went to nurse Lucas at about 6am. I am always half asleep when I do this so it took me a few minutes to realize that he was burning up! I took his temp and he was at 103. He did that for a couple of days. Then Jack did it for a about 3 days. I picked it up when Jack did and while my fever was never that high -- it was there. Poor Johann had a sick family to deal with on top of a mountain of work. That was what our week was like. Here's the interesting thing: almost every founding member of our church here had a week somewhat similar to ours.
Among the few people who started this church we have:
swine flu for a father and now their little boy is running fever
probably flu for us
another father had his back go out
another father had knee surgery scheduled for today
a journeygirl needs toe surgery so she can walk

All of this has me wondering what great thing God is about to do. It's been my experience that when things like this happen -- really great things are on the horizon. Maybe the sown gospel in Prague will start to take root.

Bridge Community

I thought everyone would like to see Johann in action at Bridge Community, our new church start. Well, I should actually say "cult start". You see, in the Czech Republic, unless a group has 300 members it is not a church but a cult. So, I guess technically we are a cult. Anyway, I digress. Back to Johann -- this is a short video of him leading music at our "church" that meets at Hotel Roma every Sunday night at 5:30. God gave us this great hotel that allows us to meet in the breakfast room for a price we can actually afford. Enjoy the short clip of my amazing husband leading music in Czech. He wants me to also put a note out to any Czechs reading this: "please feel free to correct my pronunciation". (I had Lucas in one hand and the camera in the other -- so it's a little shaky:) (Oh -- some have asked this question so: for those of you who get this blog by email -- you need to click the link to the blog in your email or you can go to dyckczechin.blogspot.com to see the video).

A Faithful God for 30 Years

It finally happened. I turned 30! My husband went all out to make it a fabulous day for me -- including, cake, a great steak dinner and my beautiful new pearl necklace and earrings:) As my Nana says, "that Johann is just a good fella." I concur!

In the weeks before my 30th birthday, I became very introspective. I started to really look back over my life and see all the blessings from God and how he used different things to make me who I am today. My first 30 years have been an interesting and exciting 30 years, crafted by a merciful God who started me on a path at 5 years old. I thought I would lay out part of that path for you -- my way of giving glory to my Redeemer for the great things He has done!

Age 5 -- Jesus saved me! I was sitting in church without my parents (who were taking their turn in the nursery) and Jesus saved me. It was the start of some big decisions I would make all by myself.
Age 12 -- Jesus called me to missions at GA camp -- away from my family again. Thanks, Debby.
Age 20 -- took my first trip to Europe with my Aunt Jeanie. I remember flying back from London thinking "I'm so glad I made it to Europe -- I may never get back." It was Aunt Jeanie who first instilled in me a deep longing to travel with postcards from her travels. I see God's hand in that now.
Age 21 -- spent a summer in Turkey doing missions. I applied to go to Australia, but told God I would go wherever it was they wanted me go. I got an email asking me to go to Turkey instead, I accepted and then told my family. I scared them to death:)
Age 22 -- graduated from college. Something that was necessary and something that I was very glad to be finished with!
Age 23 -- left my family to go to Hungary for two years. I told them mid way through the application process what I was up to. They weren't surprised.
Age 23-25 -- lived in Gyor, Hungary. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.
Age 25 -- came home to Texas. Left for a month in Missouri to see if anything was going to happen with this guy I met:) At the end of the month I went ring shopping with a guy my family had never met. They weren't surprised my this either. They fell in love with Johann on the spot.
Age 26 -- married the man of my dreams after a 3 month engagement. We started praying about when to go back to the mission field. Our families weren't really surprised by this either.
Age 27 -- Had our precious Jack. Left 2 months later for training to go to Prague. Moved to Prague when Jack was almost 6 months.
Age 29 -- Had our precious Lucas is a Czech hospital. We were blessed that all our parents made it to meet him.
Age 30 -- currently living the best role of my life: wife, mother, missionary. In that order.

If you managed to read this far, you'll notice how the big decisions in my life were made while I was apart from people I was closest to. I think it is so at moments like this I can say: look at what God has done in my life -- look how he led me and the blessings that followed -- look at His mercy and generosity to me. It is Christ and Christ alone who has done these things. A day after my 30th birthday I praise God most for: my salvation, the family that raised me, the family I married into, the family I now call my own and my sweet friends along the way. Thank you, Jesus.
Habakkuk 3:18-19.

First Professional Haircut

We took Jack to get his first professional haircut this morning. In the past, haircuts for Jack consisted of Johann holding Jack in a headlock while he screamed bloody murder and me snipping at his hair with scissors hoping not to put an eye out in his wailing head. The last time we did this -- Jack did much better. So, we thought we would try a "real" haircut. We took him to the little place across the street from us. Johann and I have gone there since we arrived in Prague. Today, Johann got his hair cut first and Jack watched. Then it was his turn. You can see from the pics that he didn't like it (except for getting to sit on the special stool). But, at least he didn't cry. Overall he did a great job and we were really proud of him. He sure was glad it was over though:)

Project Hands and Some Pics

Last weekend, our new church completed its first "Project Hands". We worked around 9 apartment buildings in a run down area of Prague. Within those 9 buildings are 25,000 people. We spent a few hours picking up trash and cleaning up the area which played right into one of the goals for our church. We want our church to appeal to people who would never set foot into a "normal" church.

Here's an example. Neo-nazism is alive and well in Europe and many say it is steadily growing. Twentysomethings go after younger teenagers who are desperately seeking to be a part of a group of some sort. These twentysomething nazi guys (sometimes older) play upon this desperation and coax these young teenagers into becoming part of their neo-nazi group. Before long, these kids are deep into the indoctrination of neo-nazism. We would like to replace that neo-nazi group for these kids and young people -- we would like to be the group they are searching for.

That's why these Project Hands tasks are so important. It lets the city get a look at us doing something beneficial -- but not over the top and crazy. And it gives us a chance to share the gospel with those who want to know who we are and why we do what we do. Starting churches is nothing new for missionaries. Hopefully, the type of church we are starting will take root here and grow -- something that is very difficult for Prague (aka the "Impossible City").

Here are a few pics from Project Hands and a few pics of my boys!