A Czech Journey

Christmas Greetings!!

2011-12-27T17:48:00.003+01:00

Hi Everyone,
Hope you all are enjoying your Christmas holiday! I am a little late in posting this because I've been experiencing internet problems since 19th of Dec. I finally managed to find a cafe that allows me to access my blog to at least post the Christmas greetings both in English and Czech.

May the presence of the Lord Jesus be your experience throughout this Christmas season and into the new year 2012!!

Until next time take care!
Many Blessings!
Colleen

Thanksgiving Greetings

2011-11-24T14:50:00.004+01:00

Hi Everyone: I am reflecting on the many blessings God bestows on me each and everyday. One of the biggest is the opportunity to live and work here in the Czech Republic. I so enjoy investing my time and energy in Czechs and helping them learn about the creator God who loves them and has a great plan for their lives. I'm willing to forsake a typical "Thanksgiving" to serve my faithful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Enjoy your turkey dinner and have an extra scoop of dressing for me.

Until next time, take care.

Love and Blessings,
Colleen

It's been a year!?

2011-11-16T20:32:00.014+01:00

Hi Everyone, It is hard to believe but I returned a year ago on the 16th of November...
Here are some highlights of my first year of my second term...

November 2010-- The biggest highlight of the month was returning "home" on 16th of Nov. That first week-end I went with Czech friends Jana and Jirka to special LOGOS English retreat. It was a great way to reconnect with Czech friends. As I reconnected--it was bitter sweet because my roommate Olga was getting married in less than 3 weeks.

December 2010 -- One of the biggest highlights was seeing my roommate Olga get married to Petr on the 4th of the month. I had a wonderful Christmas time as I began to reconnect with Czech friends. On the 26th of Dec. I went cross-country skiing for the first time in my life. I had fun trying out the skis I had bought several years earlier. Later in the week I traveled by train to the north part of the country to visit Marie (Olga's cousin) and her family. I was there for a few days during Christmas break. There was lots of snow and Marie's children took me sled riding. It was a lot of fun riding on a Czech style sled.

Jan 2011 -- I continued to adjust to being back in Brno and also adjusting to living alone again. I started my work permit and visa renewal processes. At the end of the month, I began a two week intensive Czech language course at the university.

Feb. 2011 -- I successfully completed the 2 week intensive course and took a week break before starting a semester long full time Czech language program for Foreigners at the university. I was placed in the Pre-Intermediate level I and II classes after completing a placement grammar test. I hadn't taken a Czech grammar test in close to two years so I was pleased with the results. I received a two year work permit and went several times to check on long term residence permit.

March 2011 -- The Czech semester long coursework was keeping me very busy. This month a highlight was helping my former roommate and her husband prepare for a trip to Tampa, Florida. I was so excited that they would finally get a chance to travel to America. Olga had never been on a plane before. I tried to give them all kinds of pointers as they prepared for their trip :-)

April 2011 -- I was super busy with my studies but did manage to take a small break around Easter and helped my friends (Jana & Jirka) in their backyard. They torn down their old fence and was preparing to replace it. I spent Easter Day with them as well and Jana cooked a traditional Czech Easter meal--it was so delicious--duck, bread style dumplings, and sauerkraut. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! I was still working on my long term residence permit.

May 2011 -- The end was in sight for the completion of my semester long Czech program at the university. I remember doing lots of preparations for my final exams. It was a stressful time but I was so relieved when it was all over. My brain was totally fried by the end of the semester. I was trying so hard to memorize all the new Czech I was learning. Two other important highlights for this month... on my birthday Olga and Petr took me to Kridla where Olga's parents live. Olga's mother surprised me with a homemade traditional Czech birthday cake--it was delicious. Another huge milestone--I found a Czech teacher, Lenka to help me continue to improve my Czech speaking ability. I went to check on my status of the residence permit-- I had to wait four hours in line just to get to the waiting room to sit down and wait for someone to call my number. The process is going through a lot of changes.

June 2011 -- I continued to study Czech with my new teacher. I was preparing for a busy summer with such things as traveling for friendship evangelism with Czech friends, preparations for two English camps and special hiking trips with Czech friends. One highlight that stands out was seeing remnants of the Iron Curtain in the south part of the Czech Republic. I remember growing up hearing about the Iron Curtain but not fully realizing what it entailed. Put the following link in your url to see pictures of it: http://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e546d58992db031d#!/?cid=e546d58992db031d&sc=photos&id=E546D58992DB031D!151

July 2011 -- This was a super busy month... I was in Decin visiting with Marie and her two kids. We did a lot of hiking and I practiced speaking Czech with them. I was there for 5 days. The following week-end I had a friend from Tampa visit with me. A big highlight was having my Czech teacher teach me how to cook Czech food. I found out it is a great way to practice utilizing my Czech language ability plus I continued to learn more about the Czech culture. My Czech teacher has promised to teach me all the recipes that her grandmother had shown her :-) In the middle of the July, English camps started. I was part of the Czech preparation team for the first camp plus I helped take care of and teach English to the 3-5 year old class.

August 2011 -- As that first camp was ending, the Multi camp with the Inspiration group was beginning. I taught English to adults/beginner level at that 2nd camp. I enjoyed both camps and saw God working in many of the non-believers lives. I continue to build relationships with many of the campers. God is always at work. Please continue to pray that the seeds that have been sown would take root and grow strong. All for God's honor and glory. I was exhausted after the 2nd camp and immediately after the 2nd camp, I packed for a week vacation in the Tatra mountains with Czech friends Jana and Jirka. We had a great time and the Tatra mountains in Slovakia are just breath taking beautiful. Another highlight in August was my new roommate Iva Kristova moved in at the end of the month. Iva is learning English but we only speak Czech together. I was so excited for the chance to practice over and over speaking Czech with her.

September 2011 -- this was a very special month. At church we concentrated on principals from Andrew Murray's book 'Waiting on God", additional prayer times for community and personal reflections. I also attended a five day spiritual retreat in Budapest. Plus I ended the month at the annual prayer retreat week-end with my brothers and sisters of Brno Fellowship church. I continued my Czech lessons with my Czech teacher and also found Czech language partners to practice speaking Czech with.
I also continued to find opportunities to move into more ministry involvement from Czech language and culture learner.

October 2011 -- I started teaching in the LOGOS program by teaching adults once a week English at the high intermediate level. Every 5th lesson we have a spiritual discussion class. I am thoroughly enjoying my classes. Some of my other ministry opportunities involve helping the ADO Brno Gospel choir with the English pronunciations of contemporary Gospel songs, helping Czechs with translations of texts for websites, helping Czechs with conversing in English and friendship evangelism--I constantly am building relationships with Czechs and sharing my life with them which gives me opportunities to share about my Saviour Jesus Christ. FYI-- I finally can rejoice because I received my long term residence permit on the 12th of the month. I started working on this process in January.

November 2011 -- I continue to study Czech with my teacher and practice speaking Czech with my roommate along with my Czech language partners. One of the highlights of this month was an outreach English opportunity in Klobouky. Klobouky is a village outside of Brno. Several of my students live there and we had an English day there. I taught intermediate/high intermediate students. We talked about our life journey. So many exciting things are going on as I looked to God to continue to direct my steps to the work He has here for me.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I truly do appreciate it. Until next time take care. Many blessings. Colleen

All Saints Day

2011-11-02T15:33:00.003+01:00

Hi Everyone, An interesting custom in the Czech Republic is All Saints Day. That's right one of the most atheistic countries in Europe has an All Saints Day. What do people actually do... Families go to their relatives graves and pay their respects. They light candles and bring flowers and have a time of remembrance. All Saints Day is on the 2nd of November. When that day falls during the work week, people tend to go pay their respects at the grave sites during the week-end before or the week-end immediately after the 2nd of November. I noticed on Sunday, October 30th when the bus I was traveling in passed by one of the cemeteries here in Brno. There was families of people carrying flowers, wreathes and candles to take to their loved ones grave sites. The families included the grand-parents all the way down to the small children and babies. During my childhood I never remember going to one of my relatives graves sites. It is indeed an interesting custom that they have. So many believe that a person only has this life and once they die that is it. Maybe that is why they want to visit their relatives graves and keep it tidy and orderly looking. God's Word tells us different though--John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Would you pray with me that God would raise up godly men and women here who would boldly share the good news so that people would know the truth and experience the fullness of Jesus Christ. Thanks so much! Until next time take care.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

Few Pictures on My Birthday

2011-05-21T22:24:00.001+02:00

Hi Everyone, I had a great B-day! Olga and Petr came and took me to visit with Olga's family in the village she grew up in. The weather was beautiful until a late afternoon storm came but as we were driving back to Brno we saw a rainbow. If you look really close the bottom picture actually has a double rainbow in it ;-) One was really bright but the second one was a lot lighter. The middle picture is of a few of my presents... Olga's mom made me a wonderful birthday cake! Hope all is well and until next time, take care!

Many Blessings,
Colleen

Encouraging Exercise

2011-05-20T12:50:00.004+02:00

Why have I taken a picture tracing the outline of my hand? It reminds me of an activity we did during a Women's Spring Weekend Retreat that I recently attended. I am so glad that I participated with the other 20 plus Czech women. I had many opportunities to practice speaking and listening to Czech. To ensure that I understood what was going on often I had Olga sit next to me and periodically I would whisper in her ear what I thought the main speaker was talking about. I got excited when Olga would confirm that I understood correctly the main points of what was being discussed. I didn't understand every word but got enough to understand the main concepts. It sure was a big encouragement for me. Saturday night we sat in a big circle and as the speaker asked each one of us to describe our mothers. I quickly looked up a few words to make sure I knew what I wanted to say about my own special Mom. It was such an honor to share a few things and the ladies understood what I said :-) It is interesting to think about how much we are influenced by our mothers and families in general. That was a highlight for me as well but the biggest encouragement came from our last activity. We took a piece of paper and traced our hand on a piece of paper--similar to the above picture. Then we left that paper on our chair so other women could write a couple of positive attributes about us on our traced hand. As we walked around writing on each others' papers, I made sure I had a Czech dictionary handy so I could find the write Czech adjective to describe the other ladies. It was a great way for me to study and practice using my Czech and not only that but what an encouragement it was to me. The first thing I read on my paper when I first glanced at the attributes was (translated from the Czech language) "you love Czechs, thanks!" I'm sure glad they see the love God has given me for these wonderful people. Please continue to pray that God continues to move in the hearts and minds of Czechs. Thank you so much!
Until next time, take care!

Many Blessings,
Colleen

Pictures of Preparation Mtg for 2011 English Camp

2011-04-09T15:05:00.002+02:00

Signs of Spring...

2011-03-30T21:01:00.004+02:00

This prairie flower normally only flourishes in meadows or on a side of a mountain. However, Czechs have a chance each spring/late winter to catch a glimpse. The flower only has about a two/three week lifespan before it vanishes until next year. There is a special place in Brno that this flower appears so it is a protected area which means people can't bring their dogs into the fenced area and everyone must walk only on the designated path. It truly is a beautiful sight but hard to capture its essence with my camera. But hopefully you'll enjoy these pictures I took :-)
Until next time--take care!
Many Blessings,
Colleen

Classic...Wish I would of thought of it!

2011-03-30T20:58:00.002+02:00

Spring is on its way

2011-03-30T20:30:00.002+02:00

Hi Everyone,
Hope all is well. The weather is starting to warm up here. I've been super busy with language learning but took time out over the weekend to go for a few walks with Czech friends. I will post a few pictures. Spring is definitely starting to finds its way to us. There is still a coolness to the air but I no longer have to wear two layers of clothes :-) After the first of the year, we really didn't have any major snowstorms but we did get some cold weather during the month of January and Feb. So I wasn't able to do any downhill skiing but I did manage to try my cross-country skis the day after Christmas so now I'll have to wait till next year. Over the week-end we set our clocks ahead so we are now on Daylight Savings time like you all in the US have been experiencing. I like the extra daylight in the late afternoons.

I want to share one interesting sight that I saw on Sunday morning while I was waiting for my bus. As I looked up I saw this billboard with a picture on it. I liked it so much I took my camera out and snapped a picture of it. I am amazed at all the interesting billboards that I see around here. This one was near an art gallery so maybe it is part of the gallery because it doesn't appear to be an advertisement or anything. But it is quite clever... see my next post to get a glimpse of what I'm talking about.
Until next time take care.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

In Memory of...

2011-01-29T06:50:00.001+01:00

There are so many twist and turns to life. I have already had so many wonderful people who have encouraged, counseled and influenced me along my life journey. In regards to my interest in missions and eventually becoming a missionary no one had more influence on me than Dick & Jane Reed. On Wednesday 26th of January, the world lost a very faithful man and heaven gained a beautiful saint :-) I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to work with Dick on our church's mission commission. He and his wife were a part of our first Tampa team that came here for the first Family Outreach English Camp. I'll never forget how he complimented me on how well I interacted with Czechs and he told me of the potential he saw in me to minister here among Czechs. During that first English camp the Czechs enjoyed him and there were two young girls(sisters) who called him Grandpa that was in the summer of 2000. During the winter of 2009 I saw the mother of those two girls and she asked about Dick. And 10 years later her daughters still remembered him from the camp. :-) Dick had that kind of impact on people. I always enjoyed giving Dick a hug and talking with him. I am very glad that God just happened to have Dick's son & daughter-in-law here in Brno doing ministry among Czechs when they got word of his passing. It meant a great deal to me that I was able to personally give my condolences and hugs to them. Dick is one I already look forward to reconnecting with in heaven and I'll always carry the memory of him in my heart as I strive to bring honor and glory to God as he did during his life journey of eighty six plus years.

Until next time, take care!

Blessings,
Colleen

Maybe He Didn't Have Enough Coffee...

2011-01-26T21:15:00.004+01:00

Hi Everyone, I am not a big coffee drinker and never could understand why it is so important for people to have their coffee. But today my attitude might of changed a little. On Monday of this week my 2wk Intensive Czech course started. Things are going well and class begins at 9am each day. My apartment is close to several tram stops and I have 2 trams I can choose from to take the 8 minute ride to the university where my course is. I decided on #11 because it is 5 minutes earlier then #3 and today was a cold snowy slippery day so the closest stop tram#11 appeared to be the best one :-)

Everything went like clockwork, I was waiting at the stop and tram#11 came right on time. There were plenty of people in both tram cars. I entered the first car and took a seat. The driver pulled up to the light and waited for it to change. The light turned green and the tram went straight ahead to the next stop. At that moment I did a quick thought process to myself--"wait am I on tram 9 or 11 because #11 always turns right at the light to head towards the center and #9 always goes straight and heads to the train station". Then I saw people stand up and start asking the same questions in Czech-- "what happened"; "why are we going this direction". The tram driver drove to the next tram stop and opened the doors like this was normal to do. Someone must of said something to him because a few minutes later he started to apologize that he had went the wrong way because he thought he was driving tram#9 and not #11 LOL (when he was actually driving #11 :-) He asked us to exit the tram so I jumped off and since tram #3 was close by I jumped on there and made it to my class on time with a few minutes to spare. But you never know what to expect and that has never ever happened to me before so I can only guess that possibly he didn't have enough coffee this morning. I hope his day got better as it went along.

Hope all is well and until next time, take care!

Many Blessings,
Colleen

Few More Pictures to Share

2011-01-22T14:04:00.004+01:00

Top Picture--Christmas cookies from a Czech family to help me learn the different names of the cookies. I love how the kids made the key for me--complete with little colored pictures
Middle Picture--All dressed up to go to an opera/ballet called The Creation based on the biblical account of God creating the world. I had a great time getting to know a Czech lady who invited me and who is learning English in my living room as part of the LOGOS Program that my former roommate oversees.
Bottom Picture--Classic Czech open-face sandwiches These are yummy and Czechs have a way of presenting the food in such an artistic fashion. Under the meat and cheese is a little potato salad spread over the face of the bread.

Why in Such a Hurry...

2011-01-21T11:00:00.011+01:00

Hi Everyone, On Wednesday, I got the chance to spend some time with a few Czech friends and with a couple from Tampa. We went to a museum and saw an interesting glass exhibition. Our friend Katka was trying to explain that a relative from her father's side had actually had worked in the glass factory that was in the photo. She told me the word in Czech and wanted me to translate the word into English. I knew what she meant but was having a hard time finding the exact English word to use. I asked her to please tell me more of the context & then when she pointed to the photograph and told me in Czech that her relative had worked there in the early 1900s then it quickly came to me--"ancestor". She said yes that's the word I am thinking of. It amazes me how quickly I forget my English. This week I've been focusing on Czech grammar and studying Czech vocabulary (in preparation for the start of my 2 week Intensive Czech course that starts on the 24th of Jan.) so my English vocabulary at times suffers but when I concentrate it tends to come back around especially when I know the context of what someone is trying to say ;-)

On the way back home, I noticed that the tram I was riding in seemed to close their doors very quickly not even giving people much time to enter the tram. I thought maybe it is just me but it sure seems like the elderly people don't have much time to climb the stairs and get into the tram before it is taking off. I couldn't understand why the tram was in such a hurry. It was running on time and maybe even a little early. So I thought maybe its just me and I'm imagining it. Then yesterday evening as I rode a different tram home from the supermarket, I saw again the tram doors closed rapidly and this time the doors practically closing on a woman while she innocently waited for an elderly woman to pull herself up the stairs. I felt so sorry for the elderly woman and the woman who had the doors close on her started speaking Czech with me. She complained about what the driver did and I thought so what I saw on Wed. wasn't my imagination after all. The woman shared another story that had happened to another elderly woman on a different tram. She and I both didn't understand why some of the tram drivers are in such a hurry to close their doors. It seems like the elderly need a few extra seconds to get in and get situated at their seats. Why is it that people are in such a rush? I hope nobody will get hurt. I know that I also have seen at different times tram drivers waiting and not closing their doors so quickly so someone can catch that particular tram instead of having to wait for the next one. I'll have to remember to be careful to get on quickly and stay clear of the doors so they don't close on me :-)
Hope all is well and until next time, take care.

Many Blessings,
Colleen

Annual Intentional Prayer Week for Czech Alliance Churches

2011-01-15T14:02:00.007+01:00

Hi Everyone,
This week a group of churches including the Brno Fellowship Church that I work with are participating in their annual evening prayer meetings. The first one started on Sunday, the 9th and the last one will be tomorrow on the 16th. The meetings are held at different churches and a different pastor/church leader gives a devotional. The focus has been on what Jesus said on the cross. I haven't been able to attend every meeting but the ones I have attended have been quite interesting. There is such a diversity among the churches. For example, some of the worship songs are old hymns played on an organ while other songs are more of the contemporary worship songs led by a worship group. Each meeting opens with a few worship songs and ends with everyone reciting the Lord's prayer. It has helped me to become familiar with the Czech version of the Lord's prayer and I am close to having all the Czech words memorized to it :-)

It was interesting last night's meeting place had me a little confused. The meeting place was sponsored by a Methodist church and so when I sat down I was surprised to see a large crucifixion in the front area of the room. I whispered to my former roommate is this normal for a Methodist church here in Brno. I had observed most places that had Jesus dying on the cross was found more in Catholic churches but knew anything was possible. Later I came to find out that this place is used by a number of churches including a Catholic one.

Another interesting aspect is how during the prayer time, anyone can stand up and pray aloud. There have been prayers for everything such as unity, for the lost, for Brno, for the Czech Republic and for the world. I remember they had these meetings during the first week of January when I first came to live here. This year they started them the 2nd week of January. I think it is a great idea to gather together, reflect on the new year, connect with other brothers and sisters in Christ and be reminded that we as believers in Jesus Christ are made one in Him. I believe prayer is one of the greatest things we can do and it is so encouraging to connect with others. My prayer is that not only would these Alliance Churches meet once a year but even more often than that-- why not quarterly--will you join me in prayer that God would open the eyes of the Brno Alliance church leaders to reach out even more during the year to one another.

Hope all is well and until next time, take care.

Many Blessings,
Colleen

A Couple of Stories to Share...

2011-01-11T09:45:00.005+01:00

Hi Everyone, I've got a couple of stories to share... Last Friday, I was finally ready to take all of documents including my renewal application for my long term visa to the Foreign Police office which is about an 8 minute walk from my apartment. I had been there before the holidays to pick up an application and to verify what information they needed with my application. I was confident that I had what I needed. What I didn't count on was new legislation that was signed into law just last week. Now long term residence visa request/renewals are handled under the Ministry of Interior and no longer by the Foreign Police office. I managed to get just enough information out of the man sitting at the Foreign Police desk--basically I asked him in Czech to write the new address of the office down for me. Then I made my way to the new place. It was an adventure... the new office isn't close by at all--it is a good 20/30 minutes away and the few buses that go out that way only come every 30 minutes or so. Once I got there I found out that they aren't open to the public on Fridays--several people found that out right along with me so I didn't feel so bad. So much for a quick process.

The adventure continued yesterday morning when I went back to the new office because I still needed to turn in my paperwork. I wasn't sure what to expect and hoped that the law didn't change the paperwork process--since I worked hard all last week gathering up all the documents that I was told in December that I would need. I also knew that this could be an all day process just waiting my turn to see someone. I went early and there was still plenty of people waiting in line. I slipped into the line and waited. I was surprise at how organized and orderly the process went. I think what helped was two people acting as triage/info coordinators. They asked each person why are you here & they would assess the info you had. They either gave you a ticket with a number on it and told you what doorway to go to or they wouldn't let you into the waiting area. That really helped speed up the process--after 2+hours of waiting they accepted my application and told me of a few more documents I need to get. I was happy with the process overall and I did all of this in Czech--nobody spoke English with me. I always get excited when Czech officials understand me and I understand them as we speak Czech together :-)

I've got one other little funny story to share this happened as I was waiting for my tram after leaving the visa office. An elderly lady approached me and started speaking Czech with me. I listened and understood her. She first brought up the weather--it wasn't nearly as cold as it had been. Then she started to share about why she was out and about. She had just come from her dentist office. We continued to talk in Czech and she asked where I was from. I explained that I was from America and we talked a little more. AS I entered the tram, she asked me to sit with her so we continued to talk. It was so cute at one point, she wanted me to know she understood English so she spoke a few phrases for me. Later she asked me "how old I was in Czech". I told her and she had this surprised look on her face and flat out told me in Czech that "she didn't believe me at all." She couldn't believe I was as old as I said. It was so funny and I know that I said my age correctly in Czech :-) It was such an encouragement that I was able to connect with this sweet lady who happens to live in my neighborhood. Pray that God will give me more opportunities to speak with her and others.
Until next time, take care.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

Working on Goals/Objectives...

2011-01-04T15:36:00.010+01:00

Hi Everyone,
I continue to work on different objectives and goals since I've been back in Brno. I've already accomplished quite a few on my list such as...
** I enrolled in the 2wk Intensive Czech language course offered
at the university. It starts on January 24th and I'll have about
5 hours of classroom instruction per day.

** I also enrolled in the semester course which will start 14th of Feb.
That Czech language course will last 13 weeks with 15 hours per week of
classroom instruction.

** I started my renewal process for my work permit. I've gathered all the
necessary paperwork and have just one last document that needs to be
translated into Czech. Once that document is turned in then I'll just
need to wait for approval and the issuance of my work permit. (I need
this work permit in order to apply for and receive my long term residence visa)

** I also am gathering all the necessary paperwork to apply to renew my visa. I have the application completed but had to wait to gather the
remaining documents due to the holidays.

** I've completed my portion of my Annual Evaluation process and we are
finishing up my new position description and goals for 2011. The biggest
goal is completing Czech language course work and exploring the different ministry roles that I could enter into with the local church and with different groups.

** I have already started to connect and reconnect with Czechs both believers and non-believers. I continue to build relationships and ask questions relating to culture and language. I continue to practice using my Czech language skill and realize I still have a ways to go but I am encouraged as I interact in Czech as I go to different offices to complete different tasks.

** I have been received back with open arms. Czechs are happy to have me back with them and I am glad to be here. It really feels like home for me. I am anxious to see what God has in store for 2011.

May you be encouraged in this New Year. On Sunday as a handful of us were getting ready to pray for the church service. I shared a verse that encouraged me and gave me hope as a Christian and also as we enter into the year 2011... 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come." Yes indeed--new things have come--praise be to God! May your hearts be encouraged as you ponder those words.
Until next time, take care.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

Happy 2011

2011-01-01T09:36:00.004+01:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

We had a small gathering in my apartment last night. I invited those who didn't have plans to come and hang out. We watched a great Czech movie then played a card game called Bang and sat around eating and talking. Before we knew it the clock struck 2am. Above are a few pictures of our time together...
Top picture--Mario reading the rules for Bang
2nd picture--ready to watch the Czech film
3rd picture--Marcel enjoying the evening

Christmas Day 2010

2010-12-25T14:07:00.002+01:00

I'm spending time relaxing and reflecting on the God I serve. So thankful to have had a wonderful Czech Christmas yesterday. In the morning I went with Czech friends for a nice walk in the forest. We saw groups of people out walking enjoying each other and nature. Then later in the afternoon I made my way to my friends' Bohumila and Mirek's home. Their two small boys (Tony & Jardy) were excited about Christmas while their baby sister was sleeping because she was fighting a cold. There is nothing like being with little ones during Christmastime. I had a wonderful time. We had soup, fried carp with potato salad and lots of sweets. We all opened gifts and the boys liked several of their gifts and even the big jar of jelly bellies I brought them from Tampa.

The rest of today I will be calling family and friends in the US wishing them a very Merry Christmas! Hope you all are enjoying your day. One of my favorite scriptures to ponder on Christmas Day is... Isaiah 9:6 "For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders, He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."
Thank you Lord for coming and fulfilling all of the scripture. May we never forget that you go before us to help us.
Until next time take care.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

Sights in December

2010-12-22T15:53:00.004+01:00

Top Picture-- Jana with her class decorating a tree for the animals
2nd picture-- Bundled up on the 19th ready for a hike thru the forest
3rd picture-- A Christmas tree at Prague's Old Town Square
4th picture-- A Nativity scene at Prague Castle

A popular tradition is for Czechs to go to the forest to decorate a tree for the animals. People put apples, bread, carrots and other types of food on the trees for the forest animals.

Getting into the Christmas spirit

2010-12-22T14:30:00.004+01:00

Hi Everyone, I hope everyone is doing well and that you have all your Christmas shopping completed. I wanted to write about a great opportunity I had yesterday... I got to share about Christmas traditions in America at my friend Jana's elementary school. I first spoke with 2nd graders and then during the following class period I spoke with 3rd graders. These children are just learning English and the most popular question they wanted to ask me was, "How old are you?". It was the one question that they all knew how to say.(LOL)

I gathered together pictures and ornaments to share and as I was leaving that morning, God gave me an unexpected gift left right on my doorstep--3 cards from the US. I could tell by the size of the envelopes that they had to be Christmas cards so I waited and had the children help me open them. It was great to tell them--"here is something from America." They were excited to hear a native speaker of English and learn about a different culture.
I even shared a couple of Christmas songs--the most popular one was "Up On the Rooftop". We even did a few motions to the song and sang it together.

Later that morning I was able to spend a little extra time with just my friend, Jana's class. When her students found out that I am studying Czech then they started just speaking Czech with me. They had a lot more questions for me. So I got the chance to practice my Czech with them. I was in awe as I sat and listened as my friend shared the Christmas story in Czech with her students. That story never gets old no matter what language it is shared in.

My prayer for you and for myself is that we stop during these hectic holiday moments and take time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and rejoice over the true gift that came to us during that very first Christmas. There is such a wonder and awe about it all.

Until next time take care!
Blessings,
Colleen

Pictures of Wedding Sweets & More

2010-12-10T15:00:00.005+01:00

Pictures Top-- some of wonderful wedding sweets/cookies
2nd- our hallway turned into freezer for the sweets
3rd- a view of another box
4th- cakes at the wedding
5th- a picture of the happy couple

The wedding sweets/cookies were delicious and there was so many of them. The boxes in our hallway were only a glimpse of how many there were. At Czech weddings the parent of the bride and groom also receive a cake. For Petr's mother there was a special cake made in the form of a cat and for Olga's parents their cake was made in the form of a caterpillar.

Olga & Petr's Wedding

2010-12-10T14:25:00.008+01:00

Hi Everyone, Olga & Petr's wedding was wonderful. I am so glad God allowed me to be here for it. I don't know where to begin... there was so much that went on leading up to and including the wedding. In some ways it was very similar to the weddings we have in America. In other ways it was quite different. For example... Petr wasn't allowed to see the wedding dress before the wedding day; Olga's father walked her down the aisle; they got married in a baptist church in front of lots of friends and relatives; and the wedding reception had lots of food, music and dancing. Now for some of the differences... the bride and groom saw each other in our apartment and then together went to the church; the bride and groom each had a witness who stood up for them but there was no bridesmaids or groomsmen; Olga's mother and aunts made lots & lots of sweets/cookies that were delicious; Olga and Petr gave many of these sweets to family and friends as gifts; the reception lasted all day and night. They first had a sit down formal lunch for about 75 people and then later in the afternoon more friends came for more celebrating with music and dancing. There was so many sweets/cookies, and cakes all around.

It was a beautiful day with sunshine and a fresh layer of snow that had fallen the night before. I was surprised at how many people I knew and the thing that touched me the most was when the photographer asked all the relatives of the bride and groom to come forward for a group picture... Olga's sister came and told me to come be in the picture. She doesn't speak English only Czech and I understood what she was saying but I kept telling her in Czech but I'm not a relative. In the end I went forward and decided I would stand in the back out of the way. Well, a couple of Olga's aunts saw me and decided to move me towards the center right behind Olga's father--I was viewed as part of the family--what a special moment for me. I say thank you Lord for giving me such special friends and being able to be with them on their special day! It is a day I'll never forget. Hope all is well and until next time take care.

Blessings,
Colleen

Few Pictures to Enjoy

2010-12-01T16:51:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone, The first two pictures are what I call "Cookies made with Love". My roommate Olga is getting married and the first couple days after I returned she was busy making a birthday present for her fiance and his twin brother. I was so fascinated with her creativity I snapped a couple of photos of the cookie-making process. In Czech culture it is quite common for someone to make a gift like this as a birthday present. It took her several late nights to complete the present that is why I call it in Czech--it translates "cookies with love"!

I've also had time to connect again with Czech friends. They are very happy to have me back living with them. The third picture is with two of my single friends Lenka and Jarka. I got to enjoy seeing Jarka's new apartment and hearing all the things God did in blessing her with her new home. We of course spoke Czech and I'm excited at how much I understood and I continue to take my baby steps in speaking Czech. God is so good and I'm rejoicing over the opportunity to serve here once again.

Until next time, take care!
Many Blessings,
Colleen

Pictures at TIA

2010-11-19T07:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone, Here are a few pictures of when I left for Brno on the 16th of November. My sister and two good friends were there to see me off. It is interesting my airline ticket said I would be flying from Tampa to Zurich but I was informed at check-in that we would be stopping in Atlanta to change planes--the flight # would stay the same. It is what they call "a continuing flight." Well as I made my way to the gate in Tampa, I found out that our flight was delayed due to a mechanical issue. Many people were scrambling to make new plans since the delay would cause them to miss their connecting flights in Atlanta. I was thanking God that at least my flight would continue on through Atlanta and wasn't overly concerned. My seat was towards the back of the plane & we took off an hour later than originally expected. It was raining in Atlanta and so I quickly waited my turn to get off the one plane & board the new one. It took me a few extra minutes to figure out that I had to go from Terminal T to Terminal E, of course the longest point at the Atlanta airport. No problem I'll just jump on the transportation metro that they have. We traveled to the next terminal A & a voice came over the loud speaker, "Please exit this tram! It is no longer in service". Uh oh--now I've got to make a run for it! By the time I made my way to Terminal E and my new gate, I was out of breath as the person at the counter told me and another gentleman that we had just missed our plane. I glared at her and said, "It was a continuing flight, you knew we were here." She agreed but said that they couldn't be delayed not even one minute and that one other person from our flight managed to make the flight. I couldn't believe it. I went to the ticket counter and after much discussion got them to help get me to Prague so I could get my connecting flight to Brno by noon the next day. It was an adventure that is for sure. I made it safely and my luggage after several days also made it safely. I particular enjoyed my flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam. I sat next to a man who is originally from Ethiopia but who has lived in the US for over 24 years and is a pastor of a church in Texas. It encouraged my heart to meet such an interesting man. We never know who God might bring across our path!
Until next time take care.
Blessings,
Colleen

Great News to Share

2010-11-01T13:30:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone, I have been working all morning with my leaders to finalize travel plans on returning "home"/ to the Czech Republic. Things are coming together and I will be flying back to start my second term on Monday, Nov. 15th. I am praising God and stand amazed at His faithfulness to me. I am anxious to get back and reconnect with my heart; with Czechs and with my fellow team members. Thank you for all the prayers... God has made a way and I ask that you continue to pray and support the work God has for me there. I live by faith as God is the one I rely on to provide for my needs.

I'll be sure to post more in the coming days & weeks ahead!!!

Take care until next time.

Many Blessings,
Colleen

Faces of Ministries

2010-10-04T15:41:00.006+02:00

1st picture--Outreach Family English Camps
2nd picture--LOGOS Weekend retreats
3rd picture--Single Women Ministry
4th picture--Brno Gospel Choir

Observations From a Czech Ministry Partner

2010-10-01T14:33:00.010+02:00

Hi Everyone, I wanted to share part of an email that I received from Brno and I hope it encourages you as much as it encouraged me. Take care until next time.
Many Blessings!
Colleen

"A Short Report About Colleen's Ministry in Brno"

"My name is Petr Matousek and I am an elder of the Evangelical Fellowship in Brno, Czech Republic. For several years I have been responsible for English outreach activities of our church, namely the English Camp and English classes during the year (known as Logos classes).

During these activities I had the privilege to work together with Colleen Darlington, a missionary from Oakwood Community Church, Tampa, Florida. Now, I will write a few words about the different activities, where I could work together with Colleen.

1.English Camps
Colleen was a member of several English teams who came year after
year to serve Czech people in outreach English Camps. By God's grace,
many participants heard the Good News through the Camp activities and several of them came to Christ and joined our church. Now, they are active members of our congregation. Colleen was an active member of many of the Tampa teams. Because of her good knowledge of Czech culture and thinking, she was also a member of Brno leadership team when living in the Czech Republic. Colleen is not only a skillful teacher, but first of all a valuable advisor in preparing the program of the Camps and planning outreach activities because of her extensive knowledge of Czech culture and society.

2) Logos clubs
Colleen was also active in daily ministry of our church. She actively met with non-believers. Through English conversations that are appreciated
by Czechs, Colleen shared her faith and brought people to church activities. Two years ago we started Logos clubs in our church. Logos clubs were bi-weekly meetings for both believers and non-believers where we discussed fundamental questions of Christian belief, e.g. Is the Bible reliable? Why Jesus died? What is the purpose of life? I was preparing materials for these meetings and I moderated the discussions. I really appreciated the active participation of Colleen. She had well-prepared answers and she was very skillful in answering the questions in such a way that it was understandable to non-believers, both personal and biblically sound. I learned a lot from Colleen during these sessions such as how to clearly communicate the gospel and how to share my own testimony. Colleen was one of the most influential people in the Logos club. She helped keep a friendly atmosphere there.

3) Logos weekends
Another activity of our church are outreach weekends with English native speakers called Logos weekends. Since Czechs do not have many opportunities to speak with native speakers, we decided to organized such weekends for participants of Logos classes and our non-believing friends.

Several times Colleen accepted our offer to teach English on such weekends. Thanks to her skills in teaching English and natural contacts
with Czechs, she served as a teacher on these Logos weekends. Since Colleen understands and speaks Czech, she was also able to communicate with beginners and share her life and faith with them in Czech.

As I know Colleen, she is naturally open to people. She testifies about how the Lord works in her life. She is able and willing to explain how one can accept Christ to his/her life and invite the person to do this decision."

I so appreciate the report that Petr wrote. It is great to know God is using me to make a difference. I say thank you to all who support this vital ministry through their prayers and financial means. May God open the way very soon for my return-- I need only 9% more to be realized or $360 more month!!

Colleen Needs One Last Push...

2010-09-24T13:48:00.011+02:00

I need one last push as my support goal that has been realized is at 89% and I need only 11% more or $460 month to reach 100% goal. Most of that 11% has been promised but several people have not been able fulfill their initial commitment due to loss of income. I need others to stand in the gap for them. I am so close I can almost taste it--please help put me over the top! Remember no amount is too small-- some are able to join at $100, $50, $25 a month. Here is how to partner with me on behalf of the Czech Republic...
Send support to: United World Mission PO Box 602002 Charlotte, NC 28260-2002 --Be sure to reference my #31275 or Online at https://www.my.uwm.org/Page.aspx?pid=359
be sure in the comment section to reference my #31275.

Thank you so much for partnering with me for this worthy cause. God will bless you abundantly beyond what you could ask or think. Take care until next time.

Blessings,
Colleen Darlington
Serving with United World Mission
Missionary to the Czech Republic

So this is what I'll be doing...

2010-09-17T11:00:00.002+02:00

Hi Everyone,
I was recently thinking about my relationships in the Czech Republic. Several people have asked, "Colleen, what actually will you be doing in the Czech Republic?"
I will be sharing the love of God with a people group where 6 out of 10 people don't believe in the existence of God. How actually will I do that? By continuing to build upon the relationships God has already given me and by meeting an important need Czech people have which is learning & conversing in English. It helps Czechs a great deal to learn from a native speaker. My mother tongue happens to be the universe language in which many Czechs need to learn and to converse in fluently. English helps Czech travel throughout the world and it helps them acquire better paying jobs.

I have been developing relationships with Czechs for over 11 years. The Brno Fellowship Church is one of 13 evangelical churches located in the city of Brno which has a population of over 400,000. There is a great need for churches to be planted to minister in the Brno neighborhoods and beyond. In order to do that Czech people need to hear the gospel and make a decision for Christ. I help lead people to make that decision for Christ by first sharing my love for them and their country. God has used me and others over the years to plant many seeds. I need to return as soon as possible so I can continue to cultivate the seeds that have been planted.

The heart of the issue for me...
The 6 out of 10 Czechs claiming to be atheists translates out to 6 million people and they all live in a nation that is the size of the state of South Carolina! When I know that I know there is a God--I can't sit back and do nothing. I am called of God to go and make disciples. Matthew 28:18-20

Help the gospel reach a nation in need of a Savior!

Blessings,
Colleen

So What is a Core Belief??

2010-08-20T08:30:00.003+02:00

Hi Everyone,

During the two courses I recently took at CIT--Dynamic Teams and Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills, the concept of people operating out of what they believe in was discussed multiple times. Our teachers referred to it several times as a "core belief". Many times people don't even realize what their core beliefs are and how they live out of them. That is until possibly someone says or does something that stirs a reaction within them. Even then they still might not be able to fully explain why they are reacting a certain way. It isn't always easy to put into words something that touches a person in the "essence area" of who they are. However the more we know are selves the better we can articulate those core convictions we live out of.

I've been challenged to examine and write out some of my deeply held core beliefs. In this process I am working on being quiet before the Lord and asking Him to help me identify those things that He has put in me. I've been going through a time of self-examination as I try to put into words what are my strongly held core convictions. I've also sought a few close trusted friends that I can ask to confirm if they've seen these in me. It is a fascinating process and I hope it will help me be a more effective team member and Christ-follower.

Many core beliefs and convictions are positive & helpful but we can also have some that are negative and unhealthy to us and to those we are interacting with. Pray that God would help me recognize my deeply held core beliefs and give me His power to change any that are unhealthy.
Until next time take care.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

Center of Intercultural Training Pictures

2010-08-20T08:15:00.004+02:00

Hi Everyone, I've posted a few pictures of my time at the training center.
Top picture is of missionary classmates.
Middle picture is our panel of teachers answering questions regarding Teams
Bottom picture is of more missionary classmates.

Picture of TEFL Class

2010-05-30T03:05:00.005+02:00

Aren't we a great looking group! We really had a lot of fun together. Our teacher is the second from the left.

An Interesting Story

2010-05-21T04:07:00.004+02:00

Hi Everyone,

My sister recently sent me this story in an email--I liked it so much I decided to post to my blog... I hope you enjoy it!

"Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens . 'Great', she thought. 'Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.' She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse 'The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.'

She thought, 'Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.'

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, 'Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?'

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, 'Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You.'

I think it would do all of us some good to say, 'God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.'

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him... I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)"

I say, "Amen" to all of the above! Hope it was a source of encouragement to you. Until next time--take care!

Blessings,
Colleen

Where Ministry Happens...

2010-04-27T20:18:00.006+02:00

Above are a few more pictures of a LOGOS class meeting in our living room. There is a second class, Entry level, that meets on Tuesday evenings and the High Beginners that meets on Thursday evenings. The program allows Czechs to improve their English level through verbal and written forms of communication. I have enjoyed being a guest teacher during special week-end retreats. It is a great way to build relationship and model the love of Christ to the students. I believe the greatest witnessing tool I can use especially to the Czech people is being authentic in my Christian values and faith. Czechs are watching--does a Christian's words match his/her actions and only by the grace of God can someone truly live it out. Please be praying for the Czech believers to live out their faith in an authentic way and that it would draw the lost to Christ. In the coming weeks, I'll be sharing more pictures and stories of what is going on. Until next time take care!

Many Blessings,
Colleen

Logos Pictures

2010-04-25T04:37:00.004+02:00

The pictures...Our living room being prepared and turned into a classroom if you look closely you will see a pot of tea (very important to have ready for the students). There is also usually a small snack for the students to munch on like pretzel sticks or cheese flavored ones or possibly some fruit. The other pictures show students participating in their class (High Beginner's Level). During the class, students are encouraged to only converse in English with each other and their teacher.

New friends

2010-02-15T04:58:00.004+01:00

Hi Everyone, This past week-end I was able to meet some interesting people and develop new friendships. For several weeks, my friend Patti wanted me to come for dinner and meet her Czech neighbors Marta & Peter. On Saturday night, I was finally able to spend time with them. Marta doesn't speak English only Czech so it was a great way for me to practice my Czech. Her sister also lives close by and was there visiting when I arrived. After a few minutes the sister called her boyfriend, Pavel and said you must come over and hear an American speaking Czech to us. Pavel came and we all had a wonderful time together. There were several times when I turned to translate for Patti so she could understand what was going on. We took turns talking about our lives and sharing pictures. Marta had this beautiful calendar with large pictures of scenic places found in her homeland. I got very excited when I saw it and kept telling them in Czech that I was there as I recognized certain places. I think the Czechs were impressed that I knew so much about their country and that I was so enthusiastic about it. By the end of the evening, Patti was able to invite all four to an upcoming Easter presentation at her church and Marta gave me the calendar as a gift. Patti couldn't believe it--she had been trying to invite them for a presentation at her church for 5 years and she also was amazed that Marta gave me her most prized possession. All I can say is "thank you Lord for giving me such favor with Czechs."
Until next time take care.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

Greetings keep coming...

2010-01-19T14:00:00.003+01:00

Hi Everyone, God is just so amazing to me. I recently got an email from a Czech friend who God used to encourage me. She started her email with "Dobre rano, Colleen" translated that means "Good Morning". She then went on to write about how her wish for me as I awake to a beautiful day is to be found in God's arms. Then she wrote how she & her husband remember me very well and they pray to our Lord, who He alone is our hope for this life even for our needs & desires. She concluded that they continue to pray God would bring me back to them very soon and that they love me very much. I am so humbled and encouraged by her email. God continues to confirm my call in so many ways. Plus, my friend also included 3 scripture verses... 1 John 5,4; Psalm 116,1-2 & Psalm 130,5-- you'll have to look them up to see what they say ;-). My favorite was Psalm 130,5 because it captured where God has me at the moment- (hint) "waiting on Him".

What a way to start a day--thank you Lord for allowing others to minister & encourage me. It is interesting--the ones God has given me a passion for that I long to encourage & minister with (& to) God uses to minister to me--I am so humbled by it all. I've also heard from others who say that many (Czechs) are keeping my needs & return before the Lord. God is using it all for His purposes--though I probably won't understand it all--I see His hand & I rest in that.
So I end this entry with the same wish my Czech friend had for me--I wish you all a beautiful day & that you'll be found in God's arms. Until next time take care.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

Thoughts on Natural Disasters

2010-01-15T05:40:00.004+01:00

When I heard about the earthquake that hit Haiti, I first thought what a terrible tragedy to have happened to a country already struggling. I also was reminded of something that happened about a year ago during my Czech language class. One of the class exercises we did involved speaking (in Czech) about different things involving the country we are from. Our class was very international--we had students from Mongolia, Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Ukraine, and Belarus. One day we had to share about problems found in each of our countries. Each student shared several things such as poverty, government corruption, crime, unemployment, and I was the last student chosen to share--at first the teacher looked at me and said America probably already has all that has been mentioned--I said yes we have all of those things but I have one no one has mentioned. My teacher had a surprised looked as I tried to explain in Czech the words for what we call "natural disasters". I then explained how hurricanes, tornadoes or even earthquakes can devastate an area so badly. She agreed then acknowledged that in the Czech Republic the people really haven't had to deal with such horrific catastrophes--the worst they've experienced is flooding--not all countries are so lucky.

Join with me in keeping the people of Haiti lifted up in prayer as they rebuild and work through all of the anguish this natural disaster brought to them. It is interesting to see how this tragic event is bring the world together. My prayer is that the believers of Haiti will know in a tangible way that Almighty God is greater than anything they are going through. Take care until next time.

Many Blessings,
Colleen

Welcome to 2010...

2010-01-04T23:58:00.006+01:00

Hi Everyone, Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and that your ready for what the new year will bring! I know I am ready for what the new year will bring. As you know my biggest desire is to get back to my beloved Czech Republic. I am ready to start my second 2 year term. There is so much to do... reconnect with Czech friends, continue learning the language, complete an important research project focused on Czech church culture with respects to saturation church planting (that I hope will be helpful to our facilitation church planting team), and to continue to live out my faith in an authentic way as the Lord enables me. When you live among a people group where 6 out of 10 people claim there is no God, being authentic and allowing God to work in and through you is critical.

But before I am able to return... I must be at 100% of my goal and I am totally trusting God will raise up all the necessary funds by the mid-Feb. so that I can fly out by the end of March. If you are reading this blog, I implore you if you haven't already--seek God, pray to see if He would have you join my support team then step out in faith with me. I can't do this alone--I know that the God of the Harvest has called me to work along side Czech believers to challenge & encourage them to work the harvest in their nation. Last May on my birthday God used Czechs to give me a verse that I hold to... Jeremiah 32:41 "Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul." I know that I know God has planted me in the Czech lands and that He has still much work for me to do. Czechs are constantly sending me messages asking when I will return and that they are anxious to see me again. It so encourages me and I know this part of my journey isn't only to teach me about patience & trusting in my great Provider, but I think God is using it to teach them about His character & will.

I have a sense that God has amazing things in store for me in this new year 2010. I love the lyrics... "For greater things are yet to come--- greater things are still to be done." May those words ring true for you on the journey God has you on. Take care until next time and I am also carrying this thought every day--My God is greater than my circumstances, my confusion & my character. I continue to hold tight to the God I serve no matter what!!

Many Blessings,
Colleen

Something I am carrying into...

2009-12-27T02:57:00.007+01:00

Hi Everyone, The end of the year is fast approaching and I'm thankful for a message I recently heard. The sermon was about how God is greater than. There were 3 major points that the minister wanted us to focus in on...

1. God is greater than our circumstances-- I was glad to be reminded of that fact.

2. God is greater than our confusion-- Have you ever been confused not sure what God is doing? Isn't it a relief to know that God never gets confused though we tend to!

3. God is greater than our sin-- what a great reminder--the Lord didn't wait for us to get better. No instead Romans 5:8b states it perfectly, "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." So for the new year I am carrying and holding onto this important concept-- "My God is GREATER THAN ______ (fill in the blank)! Do you know this one I speak of? I hope in the coming new year that "God will be greater than" for you, too!!

Take care until next time.

Many Blessings in 2010,
Colleen

Christmas Day Highlights

2009-12-25T23:29:00.007+01:00

Things I've been up to...

2009-11-30T22:55:00.004+01:00

Top picture--Learning with Candlewood Community Church about church planting. We had a wonderful time at the Lakewood Retreat Center.
Middle picture-- I was guest speaker at a Ladies Breakfast in Spring Hill.
Bottom picture-- I was observing & helping at a block party outreach event.

It's already Thanksgiving?!

2009-11-26T01:52:00.009+01:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have to say I've enjoyed celebrating this holiday with family. After stuffing ourselves with lots of food than catching some of the traditional football games on tv, I was ready to make my way to my friend's house so I could feed a few cats & continue house sitting. My sister & mom want to get up early to do the traditional Black Friday shopping trip. This year they want to head to an outlet mall in Orlando. This means we are leaving at 3:30AM. I'm not to thrilled about this but they said while I'm here I must be apart of the family tradition that we've been doing for over 20 years :-)

I guess I'll survive the crowds... but I'll be tired because we all decided to go to see the movie, "The Blind Side" (the 8:20pm show). I won't be getting to bed anytime soon but I am thankful for a beautiful day with family. God is so faithful & has blessed me with wonderful family & friends. I couldn't be doing what He has for me without the support of so many. Lord, thank you for being my all and all.

I hope all is well with everyone and until next time take care!

Many Blessings,
Colleen

Holiday Table Pictures

2009-11-19T23:07:00.007+01:00

Last month I attended a special event reminding us that the "holidays" are just around the corner. Each table was decorated in a different theme. It was a lot of fun walking around and seeing so many "peoples' creations".

An Update from Colleen

2009-10-09T21:56:00.008+02:00

Hi Everyone,
Hope all is well with you. Here's an update on where God has
me at the moment and I appreciate your continued prayers.

It is difficult for me to write to these words but God knows all--I had to
change my return to the Czech Republic to 6th of January 2010. The reason is I am still in need of financial partners. My monthly partner shortfall is $1,000 per month. (Translates into 10 partners at 100 per month or 20 partners at 50 per mon)

This challenges my faith and yet God gives me a peace and an assurance that I will return to my beloved Czech Republic. I am trusting my God in directing each step I take and I continue to learn from this experience.

I would appreciate your continued prayers as God opens the doors & windows He has for me. Until next time--Take Care! Below I have included a message from my Team Leader, who gives a interesting perspective...

Dear Ministry Partners and Friends of Colleen:

Ten years ago this October Colleen came to the Czech Republic for the
first time. On that Vision Trip a seed was planted in her heart to
serve the Czech people and share the good news of Jesus Christ with
them. Over the next seven years she often returned on short-term
ministry trips to teach conversational English.

Early on we noticed Colleen's humility and love for the Czech people.
We also paid attention to how Czech people loved and responded to
Colleen's ministry. Through her unpretentious ways many people were
drawn into friendship with her. Czechs would make positive
exclamations to us about Colleen. When we saw these qualities in her
life we started to recruit her to serve with us on our Czech ministry
team. The planted seed was being watered.

You have been a part of the watering and growth process in Colleen's
life. Your financial support to get her to the field and your prayers
to keep her on the field have helped her fulfill God's calling on her
life. I can assure you that the potential we saw in Colleen produced
fruit in her first term of service. She has invested herself in
relationships, more than we can number! Many people are eager for her
return and Colleen herself is anxious to return to her adopted home.

We have set a return date for Colleen's return, the first week of
January. It is important for Colleen to return by then for several
reasons. One, the annual visa renewal process takes significant time
and energy. Her presence is the only way to expedite that process. If
she can't be here then she risks having to start the process all over
again. This is even more difficult than the renewal process.

Another time-sensitive commitment is a two-week, intensive Czech
language course at Masaryk University in February. This intensive
course leads into the winter semester. These language study
opportunities play a critical part in Colleen's long-term ministry
future in the Czech Republic. The earlier she can complete her
language studies and achieve Czech linguistic competence the sooner
she can engage in full-time ministry with our team. A delay of a few
weeks in her return could set this goal back six to nine months!

Finally, Colleen's friends--many of them are unbelievers--are eager
for her return. She has so many opportunities for personal evangelism
that her "free" time is almost entirely taken up with them. This is
exceptional and we are amazed at the number and variety of
opportunities she has. Colleen's personal ministry and calling are
maturing; we believe people will come to know the Lord Jesus
personally through her friendship and witness. We do need her here to
maintain and develop these relationships--fruit unto eternal life.

Now is the ideal time to help Colleen on her way and invest in the
coming harvest. Let us encourage you to begin by sending in your
regularly pledged support this week. Perhaps you haven't pledged
regular financial support but would like to make a one-time
contribution. That would be most welcome and we thank you for your
generosity. Before Colleen can return to the Czech Republic the first
week of January she must have 100% of her support raised. In practical
terms this means promises of support and gifts must be realized, i.e.
they must be received into her account at UWM. In this way we can be
assured she has the necessary funding to do what God has called her to
do here in the Czech Republic.

Be assured that the fruit borne in Colleen's life and ministry is your
fruit as well. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of her
financial support. May God bless you richly.

by his empowering presence,
Br. Don and Ellen Harris
UWM, Czech Republic

Need a Miracle/A Call to Pray

2009-09-18T20:19:00.002+02:00

Hi Everyone, Hope things are going well with you. Got a question for you--have you ever found yourself needing a miracle? Well that is where I am at the moment... here is the miracle I need that really only God can provide... I hold in my possession my return airplane ticket scheduled for the 6th of Oct. The challenge is I may not be able to return to my beloved Czech Republic at that time if I don't have all the support I need :(

Sometimes being a missionary challenges every fiber of my being--it really does especially the aspect of raising support. But I know that I know God has planted me there and wants to continue growing me up for what He has for me. So I must continue to trust that God WILL provide the additional 25% of my projected budget by the end of September in order that I might continue the work.

If you have read this far in my blog can I ask something of you... Please go to the Lord and pray on my behalf & ask Him to provide all the dollars I need (approximately $950 per month is still needed) Thank you for standing with me regarding this. I need people to invest in the work Lord has for me through their prayers and financial donations. Feel free to pass my need on to others who would be willing to pray & keep me lifted before the Lord. Can't wait to share how God provided the miracle. For more information on how to donate go to my new website that is referenced in the box to the right.
Until next time take care!
Blessings,
Colleen

More Pictures & Highlights...

2009-09-09T21:07:00.002+02:00

#1 Riding Roller Coasters at Cedar Point
#2 My First NASCAR Race Experience
#3 Watching the race at Michigan Speedway
#4 A Dinosaur at the Cleveland Zoo

Pictures of My Roadtrip...

2009-09-09T20:09:00.006+02:00

Visiting with family, friends & supporters!
Top picture is according to my nephew, "the cool
car" I drove during my road trip :)

Website is Completed--Yeah!!

2009-09-03T04:32:00.005+02:00

Hi Everyone, Attention!! Attention!! After working on it all summer long, I finally can say that I have published my new Czech Website (It has lots of great stuff on it.) There are two ways to get there 1/ You can click on the side box which says Colleen's New Website or 2/here's the long address to it that you can copy/paste into your browser...
http://web.me.com/darlingczech/http___web.me.com_darlingczech%40me.com_A_Czech_Journey/Welcome.html

Please give me some feedback let me know what you think of it.

Hope you enjoyed your summer! I have been on the road since July 30th & have put over 2900 miles on the car I borrowed from my sister. I've stopped to visit in 5 states so far. Please keep me in your prayers as I leave early Friday to head to North Carolina for Labor Day Week-end & hope to arrive back to Tampa, Tues. evening the 8th of Sept. Still got plenty of driving ahead of me and I'm starting to get a little weary of all the traveling. It has been great reconnecting with relatives, friends and supporters. I'll be posting pictures of some of my highlights soon!
Until next time take care.

Many Blessings,
Colleen

Three Basic Questions...

2009-08-13T13:45:00.003+02:00

Hi Everyone, Hope all is well with you. I am traveling around the US and sharing about the work God has me doing in the Czech Republic. I got the idea to post the above video that I created sometime ago. The purpose of the video is to share about the need of missionaries in the Czech Republic. About 3 years ago, I asked a couple of basic questions to Czech friends regarding missionaries & their country. It takes about 5 minutes to view. See what God is doing in another part of the world. Enjoy! And as God leads take some steps to join me where my heart lives. So until next time take care.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

FYI, I will continue to make post here plus I will soon be publishing out on the web a new website sharing more information about my life as a missionary, about the Czech Republic which is the country God has me serving in and about my mission agency. I expect it to be published within the next week.

Out of the Mouth of Babes...

2009-07-28T17:30:00.004+02:00

Hi Everyone, Hope you are enjoying your summer! My summer is going well but I do miss my Czech home. One way I am able to keep in touch and practice my Czech is through Skype. I like talking with my dear Czech friends. Sometimes I even manage to contact a Czech friend by calling their cell phone. Today I surprised my friend Bohumila with a phone call to her cell. She was at the zoo with her two boys (Tony and Jarda). It was great to hear her voice and she told me that my "nephew" Tony reminds his parents to pray for "Aunt" Colleen to return to Brno. Tony will be 3 years old in a few weeks and God uses him to remind his parents to keep me lifted in prayer. His parents are amazed that not only he says this (not once but periodically) but also at his understanding of my situation and so am I. But maybe I shouldn't be because I can tell you Tony has been as much a part of my life in Brno as I have been apart of his young life. He was born 4 months before I moved there and after I arrived we quickly became friends as I would watch him for his mother once a week for a few hours. During my first 2.5 years there, Czechs often commented on how well Tony and I interact with each other. If nothing else God continues to teach me He knows my situation better than I do and uses even little ones to encourage adults to do the important things like pray-- Oh how I miss that little boy and his little brother. So can I ask a favor... please join with Tony and his family in prayer asking God to provide all of my financial and prayer support needs so that I can return on the 6th of October to minister where my heart lives. Thanks so much. Until next time take care.
Blessings,
Colleen

What is "HMA"?

2009-07-09T20:03:00.007+02:00

Hi Everyone, Hope you are enjoying your summer! This summer I am serving what they call a Home Ministry Assignment. It is hard to believe but in June I finished my first 2 year term on the mission field. (God actually had me stretch it for an additional 6 months so I could complete my language course that ended in June). So what does one do during their HMA... while I am here in the US for the next 3+ months--my goals are to reconnect with family, friends, and supporters ; to ask and get the necessary prayer and financial support for my next 2 year term; to take a break from the rigors of Czech language acquisition, culture learning and relationship building; and to draw close to God as He helps me process through the last 2.5 years on the field.

It was difficult to say, "See you later to my Czech friends" as I packed up for the summer because that is home to me. I tell Czechs all the time (& I mean it when I say it) "Moje srdce žije tady" in Czech that means "My heart lives here". It truly is a gift from God that He provides a way for me to minister among the Czech people. I know that He continues to grow me up and equip me for the ministry there. I am honored to serve among the Czech people and look forward to my next term.

While I am here in the States, I sometimes have an opportunity to talk with Czech friends through the internet. It helps me practice speaking Czech so I don't forget what I've already learned. It is great to keep in contact with them. Many of them say thank you to all of you who support me not only with finances but especially with your prayers. The Czech Christians know it isn't always easy for me as I struggle at times to learn their language. But they tell me, "We see that God is with you and He helps you." It really encourages me when they say that! I think they are looking forward to my return on the 7th of Oct. as much as I am. Please pray God will lead and direct my steps as I look to Him in helping me get the necessary financial commitments for my next two years during these 3+ months I am here in the US.

Just wanted to share a few thoughts about my HMA.
Take care until next time.

Blessings,
Colleen

B-Day

2009-05-21T20:18:00.004+02:00

Today is my 45th birthday. I enjoyed my day. I first attended my Czech language class & I had decided to surprise my teacher & classmates with something to help me celebrate my special day. When I was walking through the grocery store yesterday--looking for something to bring to class--I came across something that I love to eat--ice cream. And what made it all the more perfect was that the ice cream I came across was packaged in these special styrofoam containers. The weather has been gorgeous lately and these containers would help keep the ice cream from melting. Everyone in class laughed when I started serving them small dishes of ice cream. Remember this was Czech class so of course I had to explain everything in Czech (and many times I have shared that my favorite food when it is nice outside is ice cream :-)

Later I took a stroll around the city and went to several of my favorite places. Later in the evening I met up with friends who helped me celebrate my birthday. The best part was the verse they shared with me found in Jeremiah 32,41 "Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul." My friends then shared how they see God has planted me among them and that He is caring for me & watering me then in His time God will bring forth the fruit. It really touched me that they would think of such a beautiful analogy of how they view me as I live among them. God used it to really encouraged me.

Take care until next time.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

Easter Greetings

2009-04-11T07:45:00.002+02:00

Hi Everyone, I want to take a moment to wish you all a Happy Easter. I also want to share about something that happened last evening...
As you know yesterday was Good Friday or as the Czechs call it in their language "Velky Patek" (translated "Big Friday" :). In the evening I attended a concert sponsored by the Brno Fellowship church. I was excited about it because my dear friend Lenka who is very talented would be performing along with others. The program included readings from the Gospel of Mark and in between the musicians would perform songs that my friend Lenka had written. I knew about these songs because in the spring of 2003, Lenka and her husband, Tom, while in Tampa on a visit, gave me a cd of some of the songs that Lenka had written. The cd was made during a 1999 or 2000 concert but Lenka wasn't able to perform in that particular concert because she was close to giving birth to her second son so her friends performed her songs. I listened to that cd until I wore it out, and of course all the words were in Czech. I always liked the melodies and some of the words but I didn't know the meanings behind the words because I never saw them in print and I couldn't fully understand them. That was until last night. After the concert, I told Lenka (in Czech) with tears streaming down my face that God gave me a gift from her because I now understood the actual words of the songs she wrote (that I had listened to over the last 6 years). The whole evening was such a great encouragement for me because I have known the events of Jesus' last days in English but now I also understand them in the language of the people I dearly love.

Trust me when I say there are many peaks and valleys when studying and using a different language but I know that I know it is worth it. I appreciate you all and ask for continued prayers. I pray you will take time this Easter week-end to think about the "Greatest Gift" God gave the world that of course being Jesus Christ. Have you ever truly accepted this gift? If your not sure reflect on John 3:16 and humbly ask God to show or confirm that you have. You will never regret that decision.
Until next time take care!
Many Blessings,
Colleen

Christmas Tradition Continues

2008-12-22T23:15:00.004+01:00

Hi Everyone, I got the opportunity this past Saturday to go to the forest with some of my Czech friends. Every year they have a Christmas tradition of decorating a few trees for the animals. We hung apples and some other food for the animals. I was a little disappointed as we made our way there because there was no snow on the ground. Snow just seems to give the scene a more Christmas feel to it. But as soon as we left the trees we had decorated it started to snow. I was very excited to see the snow. All my Czech friends know how much I want snow here in Brno. Last year I bought cross country skis but I haven't had the chance to try them. In some places in the Czech Republic there is a little snow but not here in Brno. It has only snowed a couple of times and it melts as soon as it hits the ground :( So I'm not sure we will have a white Christmas.

But I am still thankful for the opportunity to spend time with friends. We are already planning to take a similar walk (or more like a hike) before Easter in the spring.

Take care until next time.

Many Blessings,
Colleen

What do you think?

2008-12-14T15:32:00.003+01:00

Thought I would share a few pictures of my grandma...
The top one is her in her early 20s.
The bottom one was taken at her 100th birthday celebration in Feb. 2008.

You can see the resemblance, can't you :)

A heavy heart though "Tis the Season"

2008-12-14T14:56:00.004+01:00

Greetings Everyone, I hope that you are enjoying the Advent season. I do enjoy this time of year. But it has been somewhat difficult this year to get into the Christmas spirit. I've had somewhat of a heavy heart since early December. Our family lost a true treasure--my grandmother passed away on Wed. the 3rd of December. She lived a very long and full life dying just two months shy of her 101st birthday. That is not a misprint--there are three digits (101). The most beautiful thing is she was mentally and physically healthy up until her death. I will always remember being able to see her on her 100th birthday on the 1st of Feb earlier this year. One of the first things she reminded me was exactly how long it had been since we had seen each other. What a memory she had ;) She was truly a special person and had such a grand-motherly heart. I will miss how she would take my face in her hands and give me a little kiss and call me, "Sweetie". She had an interesting life being one of nine siblings, married for 67 years to the same man, born 3 children (her 2nd son was my dad who died 12 yrs ago), had 10 grand-children, 19 great grand-children; worked for 40 years as a head teller at main branch of a bank; battled cancer twice in her life at the age of 80 and again at 85; had a strong Catholic faith and somehow managed to age with such an elegance that not many are able to. I have the great privilege of looking the most like my grand-mother compared to all her other grand-children. I always told her that if I can age half as graceful as she has I'll be doing well :) Maybe you can see why I have such a heavy heart. I knew this day would come but it still is a process to grieve the ones we lose know matter at what age they are.

I appreciate all the memories I have of my grandmother and will cherish them as long as I live. During this Christmas season may God give you opportunities to appreciate those relatives and friends God has brought into your life.

Until next time take care.

Many Blessings for the Christmas Season,
Colleen

Here's the Scoop

2008-09-09T16:06:00.002+02:00

Hi Everyone, I am sorry that there has been such a lack of posts. I really thought at the end of August I would have wonderful opportunities to get caught up. But as you know sometimes the best land plans run a muck. That's what happened to me as I ran into a major problem that didn't allow me to post--for about two weeks I had no access to the internet. The server was down and my landlady was away so I had no way of getting the answers to my questions on why we had no internet answered. I am now back online and will in the next couple of days get to the work I wanted to do at the end of August :)

Hope all is well.

Take Care until next time.
Blessings,
Colleen

Full Summer

2008-08-10T21:33:00.003+02:00

Hi All, It has been a pretty full summer. God has given me wonderful opportunities to practice my Czech. At the end of June, I went with 3 Czech friends to the mountains for a week. One of the ladies didn't speak any English while the other two spoke some. I managed to communicate and also I was surprised at how much I understood the Czech they were speaking. It was a great experience for me.

Not long after that the Tampa team (#9) came to partner with the Brno Fellowship for our annual Family English Camp. This year I helped teach the nine and ten year old children. The camp was a great success and I would say probably the most spiritually intense camp I've ever been involved in. I was surprised at how exhausted I was after the camp (emotionally, spiritually and physically). God has restored my strength now and I am so grateful. We had great opportunities to share the love of God throughout the camp. This year we were in southern Bohemia part of the Czech Republic at a new camp. God used us to encourage the manager and staff of the hotel/camp that we stayed at. I also got to practice using my Czech with the campers (for me it was more like Czech camp except for when I was teaching English :)

I have also had a few small trips with friends. And this week I will be near Budapest, Hungary for a conference with other Central and Eastern Europe missionaries and their families who serve with our organization, United World Mission. I've been so focused on learning the Czech language and culture it will be a little odd being around so many native English speakers ;) I appreciate the prayers. Pray God would meet with us this week corporately and individually. When I get back I'll post pictures from my full summer--I promise.

Hope all is well with you. Thanks for your interest in reading my blog and taking the time to think of me. It is very much appreciated.
Until next time take care!
Many Blessings,
Colleen

The First Group of Summer Pictures

2008-08-08T20:39:00.003+02:00

These pictures were taken at the end of June during a week trip in the Czech mountains.
Top picture--typical directional signs in the Czech forest.
2nd picture--Mountain flower that we saw a lot of during our walks.
3rd picture--A fun sign the words mean... "South, North and West"
4th picture--One of the Czech friends I was with in the mountains.
5th picture--Jarka waving to me as I went higher up than she did.

Golden Opportunities

2008-06-28T07:51:00.002+02:00

Hi All, The month of June is just about over--where does the time go. I managed to complete my course at the language course this past week. I'll have a two month break from formal Czech
studies. But God continues to bring new and exciting ways for me to practice my Czech language knowledge. For example two weeks ago I was ill and had to go to the doctor. Don't worry I'm much
better now. At the time I was challenged to communicate in Czech because the doctor who was at the office doesn't know English or only a few words. I was excited that God gave us the ability to communicate with one another :) The other night with a few friends I went to the cinema and saw
Prince Capisan--the 2nd Narina movie--it was all in Czech with no subtitles. I again was surprised how much I understood. It also helped that I knew the storyline. But it always is exciting when I hear and know what is actually being said ;) Last night I went to visit a mutual friend with my roommate Olga. Olga and the friend we were visiting spoke Czech. I sat and listened soaking up all of what was being said. A few times I spoke some Czech with them. I was surprised again at how much I could follow from their conversation. Once in a while they would stop and ask if I understood and I would then tell them what I thought they were talking about. They were impressed on how much I picked up :)

The big test comes starting today when I go on a week trip to the mountains with a couple Czech girlfriends who don't speak much English. I appreciate your prayers. God is giving me many opportunities to put into practice what I have been studying.

I promise to take plenty of pictures and put them on the blog when I get back.

Take Care until next time.

Many Blessings,
Colleen

Our own way of communicating...

2008-04-25T10:01:00.006+02:00

Hi All, I apologize for not posting in such a long time. Things are going well and today I want to share about a special relationship that God has given me. I have spoken a little bit about this before and I'm not sure if I my words can give it justice but I will try. My language learning is slowly coming along--I notice that I sometimes can understand what is actually being said and not just rely on "guessing what is being discussed". Many people have told me the Czech language is a difficult language to learn so I try to be patient with myself (not an easy task :) Anyway God has sent me an encourager in a little guy named Tony. Tony is a 20 month year old son of my Czech friends Mirek and Bohumila. Last year when Tony was about 5 months old I started watching him for a few hours one day a week. So Tony knows me as "Teta Colleen" (Aunt Colleen) Many times his mom is in another part of the house working on things she normally can't get to. I am happy to give her this break and Tony is very comfortable in my presence. He knows we will play together sometimes if the weather is nice we will go outside for a walk to the park or we will stay inside and play somewhere in the house. It sounds like a pretty normal situation except Tony is still learning the Czech language--he is a clever and bright little boy and he understands just about everything his mom tells him (more than I can). He only makes a few sounds like mama, tata (similar to what our little ones say). I can only speak a few Czech sentences and sometimes I will speak a little English to him. But many times I don't speak words but I make sounds like Tony does. When he wants me to do something he will grunt and point then I have to try to figure out what he is trying to tell me. It is amazing how well we understand each other. In many ways Tony acts very similar to how my nieces and nephews acted when they were his age. He likes to play the "Where is Tony" (Kde je Tony?) I can say it both in Czech and English and he hides his little face and laughs when I say here is Tony (tady je Tony). He likes to explore his environment and gets mad when he doesn't get his way or isn't allowed to do something like take the colored pencil and write on the wall with it :)

The other night Tony's Mom needed me to babysit for her for a couple of hours. She gave me what Tony's routine was for the evening--taking a bath, what to put on him for sleeping, what to feed him before bedtime, telling me to read him a few books and then the options on how to get him to sleep. I knew this could be a little more challenging since Tony and I would be alone. But once again I was amazed at how smooth everything went. Tony was excited to see me and started playing with me right away. He didn't even realized that his mom had left the house. That is until I had to try to coax him upstairs to take his bath. The cutest part is when I told him the Czech word for "up" he got mad and pointed to the playroom floor that we were in. I kept trying to explain that it was time to go up. He of course cried and started calling for his Mom. This gave me the chance to speak Czech telling him "she wasn't home". He seemed to understand and after a little while stopped crying--it helped that I had my "little yellow ball" that he likes playing with. I call it my special magic ball because it makes him happy to hold it and carry it around. (I try to remember to bring it every time I come. It has become routine for him to go to my backpack and grunt which tells me he wants to play with it ;) His bath and getting him ready for bed went very smoothly. He seemed to accept the fact that I was the one taking care of him. The best part for me was when I went to read him a few books he climbed up in the bed let me read to him and then drifted off to sleep without one tear falling. I have done a lot of baby-sitting but can never remember having a small child go to sleep so easily. Somehow and by some way God allows Tony and I to communicate in a very special way. It always encourages my heart when I see him. He is always excited to see me and even his parents are amazed at his reaction to me. They tell me Tony really likes you--he loves you. Most Czech children are shy and understandably can be afraid of someone who speaks a different language than their own. But with me Tony shows no fear and we are constantly communicating with one another in our own way :) Hope you enjoyed my story... I will try to get a current picture of Tony to post to the blog so you can see why he has stolen my heart :)

I have some unpublished posts from the past few months that I will get published this week-end so I can get you all caught up on what God has been doing with me. Hope all is well and until next time take care.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

2008-04-25T10:01:00.001+02:00

Happy New Year--Pictures of My Holiday Time

2008-01-01T18:22:00.004+01:00

As you can see we had plenty of snow in the Highlands ;) The first two pictures are from Kridla my roommates' hometown. We took some very nice walks with her dog. The last three pictures are from my holiday time with my friends. We took several walks and during our first one we came across this horse munching on a bush. 4th picture is of the kids trying to get at the big piece of snow that Sylvia's father had put on the pole. The last picture is of my friends Eliska and Martina. They both help me with my Czech language learning. Both are school teachers-- Eliska teaches English and Martina teaches German. I enjoy spending time with them and their families.

Christmas & New Year Greetings

2007-12-26T12:12:00.003+01:00

Dear All, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the Czech Republic. I am really enjoying my holidays here. So many Czechs have been so gracious to me. I had several invitations to join people for Christmas. Czechs celebrate Christmas actually on Christmas Eve night. This year I spent it with a Czech couple and their two small children. We had a wonderful time together. I went by tram and then bus to their home in the early afternoon. It has been cold so the trees had frost on them. It was quite beautiful. They met me outside so we went for a nice walk and of course during the walk they shared some tea with me. It is quite common during the winter to see Czechs carrying thermos with hot tea in them. I think I could get some use out of a good thermos. I am always running here and there riding public transportation and it would be nice to have some "hot tea" to sip to warm me while I am out and about. I'll have to add it to my shopping list. Back to my sharing... After our walk we went inside and everyone helped prepare dinner. We had the traditional Czech Christmas Eve dinner first soup (it is like a fish broth--I like it) then fried carp with potato salad. The couple I was with Pavel and Zdena are soft spoken. Pavel knows English pretty well having spent some time in the US. His wife is shy about speaking English but understands quite a bit. Anyway, I offered to help her fry the carp. The funniest thing was Zdena wanted to tell me something but wasn't sure how to say it. She called Pavel over and told him to tell me. He struggled for a few minutes and then finally said, "I don't know how to say this very nicely but "don't burn the carp". I just laughed and said there really isn't any other way to say it. Of course I was not offended and teased with them saying, "Oh know, now I'm under the pressure." Luckily, I watched the frying pan very closely and managed not to burn our Christmas meal :) After supper we sat around the Christmas tree and the little ones opened a few presents that Baby Jesus had brought. Here they don't have Santa Claus but baby Jesus or Father Christmas comes. The Czechs ring a little bell and that signals to the children that baby Jesus has come. I stayed overnight because I wasn't sure how easy it would be to get home. I had Christmas breakfast with them and then headed home.

On Christmas day a Czech friend who happens to be single, Zuzana, came over and we hung out together. We had a nice day together. Tomorrow on the 27th of December I will travel by bus to visit my roommate at her parents. They live in a small village called Kridla (it means Wings). This village is located in the Highlands in South Moravian area of the Czech Republic. It is quite a beautiful place with a lot of farmland--rolling hills with lots of trees all around. I hope there will be snow there. After staying a few days with her, my friends Eliska and Jirka will pick me up on Sunday and take me to another village not too far from Kridla. We will stay at a house that they rent with their friends for New Year's Eve celebration. I am looking forward to it.
Take care for now and hope everyone is enjoying their holidays.
Many Blessings,
Colleen

A Gift For the Forest

2007-12-15T18:43:00.000+01:00

Today, I helped friends with their Christmas tradition... that is going to the forest to decorate a few "evergreen" trees for the animals. (for decorations we use tasty treats such as apples, bacon, & string popcorn) Yesterday we got a little bit of snow which made it feel like the holiday season is close at hand. Plus, I am still learning again how to walk in icy and snowy conditions. Not too far into our journey I managed to lose my footing on a snow-covered patch of ice and I hit the deck literally landing on my lower back. Luckily a couple of the guys with us were able to lift me up, dust me off and I was ready to continue the journey :)
Take Care until next time!

Blessings,
Colleen

Top pic--it is important to place the decorations where the animals can get at them
middle pic--Martin is having fun decorating the tree
lower pic--Eliska adds a few finishing touches to the tree

One year and counting

2007-12-12T20:16:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, Today is my one year anniversary of living in the Czech Republic. In some ways I can't believe that it has been a year ;) There are so many things I am thankful for. The Czechs have made me feel welcomed and they continue to help me as I learn their language and culture.

How am I going to celebrate? It is wet and rainy today so after my Czech language class I am only planning a short walk around the city center. It seems to me that it gets dark quite early by around 4:30pm. And of course with the darkness comes colder temperatures :) One other thing I have planned is to write a small email in Czech to members of the Brno Fellowship Church thanking them for all of their help during my first year here. I am so appreciative of how so many have helped me make Brno feel like home. I truly do enjoy living here and though I still have a ton to learn--God continues to encourage and to show me this is where He would have me grow and flourish. For this evening I just want to take in some of the sights and sounds of the city I call home. I know how special it is that God provides the means for me to be here. I never want to take that for granted. I also want to thank you all for taking the time to read my blog and for supporting me in so many ways with your thoughts, prayers and/or financial support!!

So many Czechs tell me what an encouragement it is to them that not only am I here but that I like it and that I fit so well among them. I tell them it is God who has made me fit so well and He gives me the wisdom to blend in. I didn't truly realize how well I was fitting in until this happened... "In the middle of November at church a Czech friend came to me and said that an American visitor was here and he wanted to introduce me to this fellow American. I of course said okay and walked over to be introduced to the visitor. However, my Czech friend was interrupted briefly before introducing us so I just quietly waited until my Czech friend could do the formal introductions. After we were introduced the American visitor told me that he wasn't sure how well I could speak English until I started to speak. He thought maybe I was Czech" :)

That's a little bit of what's going on with me. Hope all is well with you.
Take care until next time.

Blessings,
Colleen

Pictures from the St Nicholas Celebration

2007-12-06T21:24:00.000+01:00

Top Picture--Czechs preparing for the St. Nicholas celebration
2nd Picture--Students from our Beginners Czech language class--our teacher is the last one on the right.
3rd Picture--My classmate from Laos
4th Picture--My Japanese classmate is on the right--her Japanese friend joined us. They had never been in a church before last night :)

A Special Experience...

2007-12-06T20:34:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone, I hope that your doing well. I am doing much better than I was. I caught a bad cold/cough towards the end of November. I am finally feeling like my old self once again.

As you know I am always looking for ways to experience the Czech culture, to practice the Czech language and to build relationships with Czechs. God constantly surprises me with the neat ways He helps me accomplish those objectives. Last night I got to do all three courteous of an invitation from my Czech language teacher. She asked our class if we would like to participate in St Nicholas (it is referred to as Svatý Mikuláš) celebration that her church was doing. The Czechs start the celebration in the evening of the 5th of December. St Nicholas was a bishop who was generous and is the patron of children. It is the same Saint Nick who is based on our Santa Claus. Here the custom is for someone to dress up as Saint Nicholas along with someone dressed up as an angel and another person as a devil. They visit young children asking them if they have been good or naughty. The children recite a poem or song then they receive a small gift from St Nicholas usually candy.(of course if they have been naughty--the devil carries a sack to take them away or threatens to give them a piece of coal)
Anyway after yesterday's Czech language class a group of us went with our teacher. We dressed up as angels but didn't realize we would be ushered all the way to the front of this huge beautiful church. We stood their singing a few Czech children songs and was then handed the microphone to say a very words in our own native languages. Our teacher had briefly mentioned this to us but none of us realized the exact context we would be speaking under. It was fun but different than what we expected. I did manage to snap a few pictures of when we were getting ready so I will post them so you can see us all dressed up as "angels". Our St Nicholas though didn't have any scary devils walking around. It was only St Nicholas with his angels passing out cookies to the children. After the celebration, a few of us went with our teacher to a pub to speak Czech with a few of her friends. We had a great time together and it helped a lot that our teacher's friends made sure to speak slower than normal to us. They also asked us questions in Czech about our lives. It was such a great experience. I continue to see the baby steps in my language learning. Plus, I really enjoy getting to know so many different kinds of people. I also realize how blessed I am to have English as my mother tongue. It gives me many opportunities to build relationships with others. God truly doesn't waste any of the experiences He puts in our lives.

I hope you are gearing up for the Christmas season--it truly is upon us!

Take Care until next time!
Many Blessings,
Colleen

What Country am I...

2007-11-21T15:12:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, Today as I was leaving the supermarket that I shop at I had a strange "deja vu" experience. I heard playing softly over the store's speaker system a certain American song. The song was a classic holiday song. I've heard it many, many times back in America. But I reminded myself of a couple things... it is too early to be hearing Nate King Cole singing "Merry Christmas" and the commercialized holiday shopping experience is even here in the Czech Republic. So I had to laugh a little and remind myself that no I am not in America but in Brno :)

Take Care until next time.

Blessings,
Colleen

Maybe Here to Stay for awhile...

2007-11-11T21:21:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, As I was heading to church this morning it started to snow. Well, the white stuff kept coming and coming. By the time I left church there was plenty of snow. In fact I went to lunch with
a couple of my friends and I felt like I was turning into a snowman. I had snow all over my black coat and backpack :) Last winter we didn't get much of this stuff but we are starting early this
year. I don't mind--the snow really is quite pretty especially when it covers the branches of the trees. I'll have to snap a few pictures to show you what I mean. We've had colder temperatures so I was prepared when the snow started to fall. I am getting back into the routine of living in an area where there are four distinct seasons:)

But for now take care until next time.

Blessings,
Colleen

Pictures of the City of Olomouc

2007-11-08T14:20:00.001+01:00

In October, I was able to visit one of the most historical cities in the Czech Republic. The name of the city is called Olomouc. First documented evidence of the city dates back to 1055. It is truly a very beautiful place. One can see the religious history throughout this dynamic city.

Hunting for Wild Mushrooms

2007-11-08T13:37:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, The above pictures were taken at the end of September during my second trip hunting for mushrooms. Here in the Czech Republic the autumn season brings this favorite pastime for Czechs to do. It is like going on a treasure hunt and you have to be careful to pick the "right mushroom". As Czechs like to say "all mushrooms are edible but some only once". Czechs use the edible mushrooms they pick for cooking. For example--The middle picture is a kind of mushroom that my friend Eliska makes in a Czech goulash dish. Her husband Jirka told me it is one of his favorite meals. Wild mushrooms also are fried up or cut up and dried on white paper than used as a seasoning (especially used in soups). It is interesting to note some of the most colorful mushrooms we saw were poisonous--beautiful to look at but deadly to eat :)

Gearing Up for Logos Week-end

2007-11-02T15:38:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, Hope things are going well. Happy November to you...as usually the previous month flew by. I had a busy one and next week I will post pictures of what I have been up to--I promise. The pictures are in my digital camera and I haven't found the time to download them onto my laptop. I've been busy these last two weeks preparing for this week-end because in less than an hour from now I will be leaving for a full English week-end. Our church during the year offers a program called Logos which allows Czechs to learn and practice English (taught by Czechs). This week-end students from the program will go on a retreat together. I will be one of three native English speakers teaching the students. There are three levels of classes (beginners, low intermediate & high intermediate) and I will be working with the beginners. The theme for the week-end is Occupations/Jobs. I am looking forward to being with the Czechs and getting them to speak the English that they know. Of course the challenge is figuring out what English they know ;) I can so relate to my students since I am a beginner in learning their native Czech language. Czechs continue to help and challenge me to speak the Czech I know. Sometimes I am surprised at how much is already stored up in that brain of mine :)

Well, just wanted to drop a quick note and I appreciate your thoughts and prayers during the week-end.

Until next time take care!

Blessings,
Colleen

Greetings...

2007-10-12T22:02:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone, Hope all is well! This morning when I was heading to meet my friend Jirka (George) for our regular conversation time I noticed today's date on the electronic advertisement billboard--the 12th of Oct. I couldn't believe it because today marks my 10th month since I moved here. Where has the time gone? When I told Jirka that I had just realized I had been here 10 months--he made a joke about if I was tired of being here. I quickly replied no way. There is way too much to learn. And I absolutely adore being here even though there are many challenges along the way.

One of the biggest challenges is of course learning the Czech language. I am making steady progress and many people tell me it takes time. Especially since Czech is so different than English. Two weeks ago I started taking regular courses at the Brno State Language School. I like the classes very much. There are seven students in our class with a wide range of foreigners. I am the only American; 1 young woman is from Japan; 1 is from Ukraine; 1 man is from Congo and 3 teenagers are from Laos. So we have quite a diverse group. It is a beginner level class and it can get quite interesting. Our teacher is a young Czech woman. She speaks and teaches us in Czech when the majority of us have confused looks on our faces only then will she explain it in English to us. That helps everyone except the man from Congo. He doesn't know English but French. It can get pretty funny watching the teacher and even the students try to help him understand what is being taught :)

Well, that's a little bit of what is going on. I'll post pictures soon. Take Care until next time.

Blessings,
Colleen

A Day Trip at the English Camp

2007-09-22T16:06:00.000+02:00

Top Picture--Small Bunker that was built before WWII
Middle--Campers waiting to tour the Large Bunker
Bottom--Iveta Posing for the Picture

English Camp Pictures

2007-09-22T15:45:00.000+02:00

Top picture Some of the 3-6 yr. old children giving their gifts to Beth who taught them songs at the camp. Middle picture--Vašek became my little buddy at the camp. Bottom--Beth proudly showing off her gifts from the kids.

Sights from this Summer

2007-09-22T15:20:00.000+02:00

These pictures are from an evangelistic concert that happened in the center of Brno. While the mimes were performing, I recognized a Czech family from our church so I snapped a few pictures :)

Off to E-Camp

2007-08-11T07:55:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone, What is E-Camp? Well, it is how God first got me to learn about the Czech Republic. E-Camp is my way of saying English Camp. The Brno Fellowship Church and my home church in Tampa, Oakwood Community Church, started a partnership of doing English camps in the summer of 2000. In some ways I can't believe that we will be having our 8th camp! The teachers from Tampa arrived on Wed. and several of us have been showing them around the local area. The Tampa team consists of 10 members (5 who have done this many times before and 5 who have never been here). E-camps are very special to me. It is how I first realized that God wanted me to come here.

It takes a lot of work to put a E-Camp together. I understood well what the Tampa Team has to do to prepare.(I've participated in 5 of the first 7 camps) This year I got to play a role on the Czech leadership team that was preparing for the Camp so I now have a better appreciation of the type of preparation they have to do.

Please be in prayer this week for our camp. Here are some things you can be lifting to the Lord on our behalf...
* That God would be glorified in all we say and do.
* That everyone would remain healthy the whole week over 120 people will be at the camp including 32 children--7 are under the age of 2.
* That relationships would grow and deepen. That opportunities to share what the Christian life is all about and the true meaning of the gospel would bear fruit with those campers who are searching for life's answers.

E-Camp starts today and goes until next Saturday. It is a family camp and it allows people to learn about Christianity and the students are able to converse/learn from native English-speakers.

When I get back I'll be sure to post lots of pictures. Thanks for stopping by and until next time take care!

Blessings,
Colleen

Where Did Everybody Go...

2007-07-13T08:10:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you are enjoying your summer! I know in the US summer really starts to happen in early to mid-June but here in the Czech Republic for my first experience I can say it happened on the first of July. Brno is known as a university city and I can see why--there are a lot of students studying here. But unlike in the US--there isn't a session in the summer--the schools for all levels small children to adults were in session until the end of June. Now there is a two month summer break and with it many changes. Many of the university students go home to visit family and friends or do some traveling. I really noticed the difference that first week of July riding the public transportation--it was like Brno turned into a "ghost town". There were two holidays in that week so many Czechs left the city to take a relaxing holiday away from the hustle and bustle. But even the trams have changed their times and routes. I am having to learn the summer schedule. It is quite different than when "school is in". This is also the time of year that they work on major road and track repairs. Right now they have part of one of the main tram stops closed (Ceska Street). Many of the trams I could transfer to was a part of this area--so it has been fun learning where the new temporary stops are located and how to get from one area of town to another :) Even the Czechs who stay here in Brno are having to figure it out. It is fun watching them ask each other how to get where they need to.

Case in point my friend Jirka(George) had to take a tram to meet me in the center of town because his car is in the repair shop. He isn't use to the tram schedules or routes since he drives his car most of the time. He struggled to get home the other day because he went near the tram stop where he got off to meet me. But right now a tram doesn't run in the opposite direction like you would think. After waiting a while for a tram that wasn't coming, he finally called his oldest son who rides the trams a lot. His son laughed and told his father how to find the summer tram stop to get home :) And Jirka has lived here in Brno for close to 20 years.

I've just added the task of learning the summer tram/bus schedule to my study list--it seems like I am always studying something :)

Hope all is well. Take Care until next time!
Blessings,
Colleen

A Recent Adventure...

2007-06-23T00:39:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone, Hope all is well. Recently a good friend and her family took me to an area known as the South Moravia region in the Czech Republic. This is where my friend grew up and she wanted me to see and experience different aspects of Czech culture in the villages. I had a wonderful time and there were several festivals going on during the week-end of our trip. I have posted several pictures in this post and the previous one--so after reading this post be sure to scroll down to take a look :)

The first picture is of a bridge built in the 1920s and was in the hometown of my friend. We walked all around the village and went into a castle--there happens to be quite a few castles here in the Czech Republic. Anyway, in this village this castle is like the village's town center. We literally walked in on people rehearsing for a community play. A few people recognized my friend's mother and came over to speak with us. Later in the day in the village where my friend's parents live, we went to a festival called "Cutting of the Grass". People were dressed up in costumes performing in small groups for the audience. It was quite interesting to watch. My sister's friend told me that the groups were not dressed up in their full heritage costumes--that this festival wasn't one of the bigger ones. I was surprised to hear that because some of the groups had pretty elaborate outfits. At the festival my friend pointed out to me several areas of high grass marked off-- later there would be a contest to see which group would cut the patch of grass the fastest. We didn't have time to stay and watch that part :) Village life is quite different than city life that is for sure :) Hope you enjoy the pictures... remember to scroll down to see more. Take Care until next time!

Blessings,
Colleen

Pictures of A Recent Outing

2007-06-23T00:20:00.001+02:00

Top Picture--A group performing at a village festival in South Moravia
2nd Picture--My friend's 10 month old son (Tony) enjoying the sights
3rd Picture--Type of transportation for village life

Rooting From afar...

2007-06-07T10:09:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone, Many of my close friends and family members know what a sports fan I am. I have always appreciated the lessons I learned playing sports and also watching them. Here in the Czech Republic I follow the sports headlines through the internet. American football has always been one of my favorite sports to watch. Baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, ice hockey, soccer, bowling--you name it--I probably have watched it at one time or another. Not only that I grew up fighting with my brothers on who would read the sports section first. It is the only part of the paper I enjoy reading and for me it is required reading :) My step-father always would tease me when I would drop by for a visit--one of the first things I would do is look for my parents' St Pete Times Sport Section to read. (I didn't get the paper delivered to my house so it was nice to get a glimpse of it when I was at theirs ;)

I mention all this to say how excited I am that a 22 year old guy from my hometown (Akron) has the local home team that I have rooted for all my life in the NBA finals. That is pretty amazing and for me the beauty of it all is seeing the lessons of leadership and teamwork displayed along the way. That is why I like sports so much--no individual or team truly can win a championship without a high level of leadership and teamwork. LeBron at 22 years old shows a lot of poise and giftedness in those two areas/besides his natural basketball talent. I know that many of the experts are picking the Spurs to win over the Cavs--rightfully so. San Antonio has a lot more talent, experience, and also displays great leadership/teamwork. But I love to root for the underdog and the Spurs still have to do it on the floor. The Cavs/LeBron won't make it easy for them.

Though I have admired many great sports figures for their leadership and teamwork abilities--there is one human being who is beyond all the others. No one can ever come close to what He did for mankind and continues to do... that person is Jesus Christ. No one has influenced the world more and for that matter no one has influenced or changed my life more than Jesus Christ. As I study the bible I constantly gain new insights to the great servant leader Christ was and it reminds me that He wants to continue his work in & through me along with others. The greatest game we are in is called, The Game of Life--how are you doing with yours? Is there some thing missing that cries out in the deepest part of your soul and no matter what you try to fill that desire with--it is still there. May I encourage you to read the scriptures--look at who, what and why Christ did what He did. Check to see if it should make a difference in your life or if it has continue to be challenged by Christ's call on your life. I know I am... these are just a few of my thoughts! Take care until next time.

Blessings,
Colleen

GO CAVS--you got nothing to lose--I'll be rooting from afar. And no matter what win, lose or draw I will always be a fan of Cleveland sports.

While You Were Sleeping...

2007-06-04T21:43:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone, This morning while most of you were sleeping I was on a bus to Vienna. I traveled there to the Czech Embassy because I needed to pick up my visa. In March I applied at the Czech Embassy in Vienna for my long-term visa. The visa process is somewhat cumbersome and a unique process. There are two major parts to it first you have to apply for a work permit and once you have that then you can apply for a long-term visa. My first visa is good for one year. Each year for at least the next 5 years I will have to reapply--first for my work permit then for the visa. But at least next year I will be able to reapply for everything in Brno and not have to travel outside of the country.

Today was quite an adventure for me. It was the first time I traveled by myself to another country. I am glad I had done my homework over the week-end and had figured out a game plan on what was the best way to get to the Embassy from where the bus was dropping me off at. I had only a small window of time to work with so I knew I needed to be efficient as possible so I decided to travel by the underground subway system. You see the Czech Embassy only handles visa issues from 8:30am to 10:30 am M-F that is why I was on a bus that left Brno at 6 am in the morning. I also didn't want to be gone for very long so I booked the 11:35am bus to come home on. I basically was going there to pick up my visa and then come home. Everything was going very well even though the bus was about 30 minutes late because of morning rush hour traffic. I had no problems finding the red and green line underground subways. I headed in the right directions both times and got off at all the right stops. I even managed to walk in the right direction to where the Czech Embassy is located.

All morning I was praying asking God to be with me and allow everything to work out well. I started to run into problems when I tried to reach the contact person at the Embassy that I had been working with. After waiting for over 30 minutes I finally found out that she wasn't in today. The lady at the counter told me to come back tomorrow. I must of had a look of horror on my face because I was scheduled to leave in just a few hours. I didn't want to have to pay for another trip back especially since all I needed to do was pick up my visa. The lady at the counter spoke only a tiny bit of English. Somehow I was able to communicate enough that she realized I was there only to pick up my visa. She took my passport and some other required paperwork. She told me it would take about 10mins. I thought that's good because it is 9:45am so I'll manage to find my way back with time to spare. However, it took longer than 10 minutes in fact I didn't leave the Embassy with my long-term visa until about 10:40am. I quickly made my way to the green and then red underground subways. When I came up from the last stop where I had started from earlier in the day, I got a little worried. Nothing looked familiar to me and here it was 11:15am. I had to somehow quickly find the bus stop area. I had no idea where it was. I walked in one direction and then another. Each time I turned around and walked back to where I had started. Finally I started asking strangers if he/she spoke English remember I am in a German-speaking country. (so my Czech language learning wasn't helpful in this situation :) Most of them didn't know English--I had to laugh one man showed me his watch--I giggled and thought "bless his heart" he surely doesn't understand English. Finally I found a young man who spoke a little English but he wasn't sure where the bus stop was. However, he did direct me to an information center that was just around the corner from where we were standing. My first thoughts were thank you God for directing me to somewhere I can at least ask especially since it is 11:25am and my bus is slated to leave in 10 minutes. I got the information I needed and I had to go back down the underground and up the other side. I quickly found the bus stop and within a few minutes the bus pulled up and I was relieved to climb aboard!

I thought well that is enough of an adventure for one day. I sure was glad to be on the bus. There was one last hurdle to overcome though as I traveled back to Brno and the Czech Republic. The Czech Embassy had given me additional paperwork to give to the Customs Border Officer when he checked my passport. When we got to the Czech border the Customs official came on the bus and I showed him the paperwork--he asked me to sign the bottom half and then took my passport. I wasn't concerned until a different officer asked the bus attendant/driver to get me off the bus. Here I am sitting with a bus full of people mostly Czechs and I get called off the bus. I wasn't sure what was wrong or how it looked to the others. All I had to do was sign the top portion of the form, too :) Whew, I was allowed to get back on the bus and head into the country I call home--it sure was nice to be home by 2pm--what a full day--I sure am tired but very glad my adventure is over and that I am home--never a dull moment--that is for sure!!

Take care until next time!
Blessings,
Colleen

More Pics...

2007-05-27T20:43:00.000+02:00

Top Picture--Radka & Pavel on their wedding day. It was fun to experience my first Czech wedding. It was similar to the weddings in America.
Middle & Bottom Pictures--Flowers are a sweet gift that Czechs like to give to one another. I got these two lillies from different Czech friends in honor of my 43rd birthday that I recently celebrated.

Staying on Track...

2007-05-26T11:15:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone, Hope all is well! I've been busy focusing on my four objectives. You may remember I wrote about them in January--they are 1/ to learn the Czech language; 2/ to learn the Czech culture; 3/ build relationships with as many Czechs as I can; 4/ be in prayer asking God to reveal what my future ministry will be here. I have been living here for 5 months and I am learning so many things about the culture, the language, the people and also about myself.

The Czech language is quite different from English. One fellow missionary I thought summoned up the differences in a good way--English is a word-driven language while Czech is ending/prefix-driven language. For me it is quite interesting to study Czech and also quite challenging, too. Sometimes one or two Czech words summons up a 5/6 phrase of English (both meaning the same thing). But slowly I am starting to understand more and more. As I sit and listen to Czechs speak to each other--I listen intently trying to pick out the word(s) I might know. Then I usually have a Czech ask if I know what someone is talking about--I share my thoughts and not always but sometimes I am right. I appreciate the continued prayers for my language learning.

I am thankful for my mother-tongue of English. God is using it to help me build relationships with Czechs. There are many Czechs who know a little English and are studying it but they have a hard time finding someone to practice their English with. During the week, I meet regularly with Czechs interested in practicing their English plus he/she gives me time to practice my Czech with them. It can be quite interesting working with someone who speaks a little English--it is the best situation because we both have to work hard to communicate and understand each other. And English is challenging for Czechs because they are not use to such a strict word order in sentences or having to use so many little articles (a, the etc.) like there is in the English language.

That's a little bit about how I am staying on track with my 4 objectives. For culture learning I am asking plenty of questions and doing a lot of observing. I also have monthly assignments from my mission agency--the assignments are called On-Target. In a future blog entry I'll explain more about what On-Target is :)
For now take care until next time!
Blessings,
Colleen

Sights of Pilsen

2007-05-11T20:18:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone, We had a great time last week-end in Pilsen. The city had a big celebration marking the 62nd anniversary of when the US troops led by General Patton liberated the city at the end of WWII--1945. Everywhere we looked there was Czech and American flags hanging together. We got to walk through the Patton Memorial; experienced a parade of jeeps/tanks/cars that were refurbished into WWII style--even General Patton's great grandson was in one of the jeeps that drove by--several Americans took part; displays of what Army life looked like back then etc.(see pictures below) I also toured the city of Pilsen with my Czech friends--top picture (L to R-Karel, Olga & Frantisek). The middle picture shows Pilsen's coat of arms which is part of the townhall building. The last picture is a view from a church tower. I was told there were 301 steps to climb to get to the top--it sure felt like a lot of steps ;) If you look closely at the picture, you can see one of the oldest synagogues in Europe. This synagogue was spared during WWII because Germans were living in the buildings between the synagogue so it was not bombed or destroyed. It is quite a beautiful building. In fact I thought Pilsen was quite interesting and the spring flowers and trees blossoming gave it even more beauty. This was a great time of year to visit the city.

Hope all is well. Take care until next time!
Blessings,
Colleen

Pictures of Pilsen's Liberation Festival...

2007-05-11T19:51:00.000+02:00

My Plans for the Week-end

2007-05-04T12:12:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone, Just wanted to drop a quick note--I am off on another adventure. This week-end I am going with a few friends to visit the City of Pilsen and take part in their Liberation Festival. Here is some interesting information regarding this festival and the city--"On May 6, 1945, at the very end of World War II, the city of Pilsen and Western Bohemia were liberated from Nazi Germany by General Patton's 3rd Army; the rest of Czechoslovakia was liberated from German control by the Soviet Red Army. Patton withdrew a few days thereafter, in accordance with the agreements of the Allies. The Communist regime ensured that this liberation of Pilsen and Western Bohemia by the U.S. troops was mentioned fleetingly, if at all. There was, however, a bronze plaque commemorating the liberation by the US 3rd Army near the town center. Since 1990, the city has organized a yearly Liberation Festival taking place in May, which has already become a local tradition, and has been attended by many allied veterans."

It should be an interesting week-end for me! I will be sure to take plenty of pictures and post them by Monday.

Hope all is well. Take care until next time!

Blessings,
Colleen

Staying Put for a Change

2007-04-28T16:44:00.000+02:00

This is a picture of Pilsen Gate built in the 14th century. It is part of the town Beroun. The translation of the Czech words are "All things fade in time, God alone is eternal" Here is a small example of the religious references found on a historical building.

Hi Everyone, It is nice to be home during a week-end for a change. Check out the pictures that I posted showing my previous two week-ends. The first week-end I went to a Spring Retreat offered by the Brno church that I attend. I had a great time in an area called the Highlands. It is a beautiful area and we had terrific weather. I enjoyed listening to the Czech that was being spoken and spending time with many of the familiar faces I know. We had a guest speaker lead several sessions on the Book of Acts. Olga helped translate some of what was being said for me plus I knew aspects of what was being studied in the Book of Acts so I could comprehend a lot of what was being talked about in Czech. It was encouraging to actually grasp what was spoken in Czech--I continue to take baby steps in my Czech language learning.

Then last week-end I ventured out on my own travelling by bus (2 1/2 hour trip) from Brno to Prague. I went to visit my friend Marcela. She lives outside of Prague in a town called Beroun. It is quite beautiful there. Not only did I manage to travel by bus but after getting into Prague I found the underground subway; bought my ticket and rode the correct line in the right direction to another bus area; there I found the correct bus to Beroun and my friend Marcela met up with me on that bus. It was a great challenge to travel by myself outside of Brno. I am quite comfortable taking public transportation in Brno but really hadn't had a chance to do much outside of Brno. It is interesting trying to catch the words I do know. Everything was spoken in Czech and I even managed to ask for the complimentary cup of tea that was offered on the ride to Prague and again asked for it on the ride back to Brno :)

Hope all is well with everyone. Take care until next time.

Blessings,
Colleen

Pictures of April 20th-22nd Week-end

2007-04-28T16:24:00.000+02:00

Top Picture--My friend's rock garden
2nd Picture--A bear at the Beroun Bear Garden/in the town's park.
3rd Picture--My friend's view of her neighborhood from her backyard. Her neighbor has built a skateboarding ramp on top of their garage :)

Spring Retreat Week-end April 13-15th

2007-04-28T15:54:00.000+02:00

Top Picture- a view of the land, it is referred to as the Highlands.
2nd Picture- The first white building is where we stayed at.
3rd Picture- another view of the Highlands--it was beautiful.

Pictures of Saturday's Hike in the Forest

2007-04-12T18:39:00.000+02:00

Here are some pictures of my hike on Saturday with Eliska and Jirka. We found what they called a "new castle" which was actually quite old but the map we were using showed an area for an old castle. What we found there was just a small stone wall of what use to be a castle (see the 4th picture posted). The first 3 pictures listed are of the "new castle". It is privately owned and it is not open all the time. I am not sure when it was built.

A Protected Flower

2007-04-10T15:23:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone, Spring has been in the air for a couple weeks now. One of the first signs for Czechs to know that spring has sprung is when they catch a quick glimpse of a rare "praire flower". The proper English name is "pasque flower". This flower only blossoms once a year for only about two weeks. It is usually seen at the end of March or first part of April and is one of the first spring flowers to show itself. Here in the Czech Republic it is protected because it is a rare flower that only grows in a few areas mostly in the mountains. However, there is a small area in Brno where this flower blossoms each year. Several of the Czech families I know live near this place. The government has put a fence around the area and marked it as a national nature reservation area. People are not allowed to bring their dogs into this area and they have to be careful not to step on any of the flowers. It was quite a beautiful sight seeing the fields of violet all over. I did do some research on this flower and found out that it is part of the buttercup family of flowers and that it is quite popular in the State of South Dakota in fact it is their state flower.

It Has Been A While

2007-04-09T22:22:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone, Sorry, I haven't made any entries lately. Plenty of neat things have been going on--please forgive me for not taking the time to share. During the week-end of March 23rd thru the 25th, I was on a retreat that focused on conversational English. I went to listen to the Czech being spoken and to build relationships with Czechs. (Many Czechs understand some English, they need opportunities to practice speaking it.) Near the hotel we stayed at was this windmill. Over thirty of us went to visit the windmill and we found out that it was built in 1878. It was quite interesting going through it. The windmill is privately owned and during the warmer months it is rented out as a place for people to use for their vacation.

What To Do with the Boxes??

2007-03-23T13:11:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone: Hope things are going well. After putting our furniture together, my roommate and I inherited quite a collection of empty cardboard boxes. So how is this small problem dealt with here? Well you don't put them next to your trash can for pick up. No, instead you tear them up and walk them to the nearest paper dumpster/recycling bin. I visited that dumpster quite a bit--the corner of our living room is looking a lot nicer because of it :) It is interesting to see these recycling dumpsters throughout the Czech neighborhoods. There are recycling bins for glass/bottles-containers; for paper/cardboard and plastics.

Take care until next time.

Blessings,
Colleen

A Trip to See Snow...

2007-03-14T21:25:00.000+01:00

Here are some pictures of when my friends Eliska, Jirka and their son Martin took me to the mountains. We drove about 3 hours from here up to the Jeseniky Mountains to a little ski village called Petříkov. The two pairs of skis belong to Jirka and Martin. Eliska and I enjoyed hiking and spending time together. (but we didn't ski maybe next year I will learn how to cross-country ski that is my goal.) We did this trip at the end of February. We have had a very, very mild winter here. I think North America got our snow besides their own. We had snow only for a few days at the end of each month January and February. Czechs have mentioned to me many times this year is not a typical "Czech winter"-- I know my body appreciates it wasn't a typical Czech winter!

Take Care until next time,
Colleen

More and More Like a Home...

2007-03-12T13:36:00.000+01:00

Top--My Three Wardrobe Closets
2nd--The top view of my bed
3rd--Pop up view "under" the bed storage area
Bottom--Our kitchen table area

Putting It Together

2007-03-12T12:46:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, It is time to get you caught up on what I've been doing. First I must send out a very special "thank you" to all the men in my life who has ever taken the time to let me watch them put something together or watch them repair something; and who showed me what tool was what and how to use them!! ("Papa", you are one person in particular who I owe a "huge" debt of gratitude for investing over the years the time in letting me watch you and learn from you!!) Now with that said here is what I've been up to... Alot of our furniture was delivered a week ago Saturday so this past Friday and Saturday I focused on putting it together. It doesn't sound too terrible except try looking at instructions in a different language. It can be quite challenging even for Czechs because the language wasn't always in Czech either :) What was good was with the foreign language came diagrams. Trust me I now view diagrams as part of the universal language. The diagrams were extremely helpful and surprisingly accurate. I honestly didn't pull my hair out though I do have very sore hands from my labor but it was worth it. Luckily before I tried to put my first piece together I realized I must buy a few additional tools because we didn't have the type we would need. I had no problem finding a good hardware store and I made sure I had the czech words for the type of tools I would be looking for. Having the czech words helped me locate what I needed in the store. On Friday I experimented and put one wardrobe closet together by myself. It took me a while but it gave me confidence and a good knowledge of how to do the other two. So on Saturday a few Czech friends came over and helped me and Olga with our bedroom furniture. I guess I impressed the young lady who was helping me. She told others Czechs that I was knowledgeable and the literal translation she was telling people was "Colleen is clever with her hands". I am not sure how clever or good I am with my hands but I do know that out of necessity I was willing to do it. Because I knew I would enjoy my furniture alot more out of the boxes put together than in the boxes!!! I will post some pictures of what it looks like :)
Take Care until next time,
Colleen