The Czech Republic and other such things

I think I have regrouped now from the tragic event that just took place a few hours ago. I want the guilty party to know that I have forgiven he/she, and that even he/she is welcome at the foot of the cross :)

All I can say really about our return trip to the Czech Republic is, "wow!" I don't know if I have been on a more physically, mentally, or emotionally draining trip in my life. I still not have recovered from all that took place. We were poked and prodded. Bent and squeezed. Pressed and stretched. While it is probably the most exhausting trip that I have been on, it has also been the most rewarding. I do not believe I have seen all the rewards of it yet, and I believe that the blessings and teachings of this trip will still be streaming in months from now, and that thrills me. No inconvenience that we may have gone through could ever compare to the lessons learned, the worship that took place, or the fellowship we enjoyed.

Our journey started with our flight being delayed two hours in Savannah, GA. Because of this delay, we missed our flight out of Washington D.C. to Frankfurt, Germany. After consulting with several ticket agents until 12:45 a.m., we were forced to stay in a hotel until the next flight left for Frankfurt at 6:53 p.m. the next evening. We were a day late and we missed our chance to spend with the missionaries we had befriended back in March at the retreat. It saddened us to be stuck until the next day, but there was nothing we could do. So we finally got on the way, and with the exception of a little delay in Frankfurt, we got to Prague and to our friends who were waiting for us. Because of the delays, we had just a short time to eat before we had to get to the camp. Our friends, Greg and Andrea ate with us, which meant a lot to us. It would have stunk to not see them at all because of our delays. My guitar did not make it to Prague, but, fortunately, it did arrive that evening, and it was brought to me at the camp in perfect shape.

The camp was 2 1/2 hours out of Prague at this camp site. We stayed in cabins that sat upon a hill. Anytime we were going to/from our cabin it was a nice little climb. Needless to say, we got our exercise in during the week. We walked everywhere! At the camp were about 50 kids, ages 6-16. The camp was an English camp. Most of the kids were a part of an English club put on by the missionaries. Part of our assignment was to teach English to the students during the day. We also led in worship and part of the Bible studies. If you think speaking in front of someone is difficult, you should try it with a translator. Also, we were there to help out the Czech leaders anyway we could. Also during the day we would often play baseball or some other game that the Czechs had made up. Our goal was to build relationships with these students, and as we did that, share the Gospel with them. Spending time with the kids was awesome. They were so excited that we were there, and they loved to hang out with us. Everyone got a kick out of us trying to communicate with them, and them trying to communicate back with us. They had such an enthusiasm about the camp, and they were so interested in who we were. It was really cool to see. I miss the students because, despite the language barrier, we built a nice bond. We related, and that's really cool to see.

Another rewarding time for myself was the chance to spend time with the missionaries. We had the chance to share our hearts with one another. We got to ask questions, share thoughts, and just have genuine fellowship. When they said they would pray about a situation, you knew they meant it. We laughed and cut up together, but we also shared some pretty personal stuff. To me, it was a nice example of what it means to have accountability and fellowship with one another. We were able to be open and honest with one another without fear of judgment or rumors being spread or anything like that. It was in those talks that I gained an enormous amount of wisdom from all of the missionaries, whether the family or the journeymen/women/persons. Also in those talks, I felt like I connected with God on a deeper level than I had in quite some time.

I have felt in the last month or so that God was beginning to prepare Lindsey and myself for something big, and the conversations last week have re-affirmed that. God's got something in store for myself and Lindsey, for Lyle, for Chris, and for those missionaries. It's exciting to know that God is working on something pretty sweet and that I get to be apart of it. It's also nerve racking because I have no idea what it is. It could be here in Glennville. It could be somewhere else. I really have no idea. It could start off as something bad, but in the end be something beautiful. I think God likes to do that, take you through something difficult in order to grow you and bring you closer to Him before things finally start to get better. I don't know. I just know that I really feel lost at times and feel pretty inadaquate most of the time, but I am confident in knowing that God has it all in His hands. I have got peace. Hope. Excitement.

The winds of change are blowing. I can't wait to see where it takes me.