Last Week in Prague

I am sad to say that this is my last week on Prague. I will be returning home on Sunday to start life again! God has blessed me so much by giving me this chance to visit the Mudriks before I go home, and my stay has definitely been great! It has been a huge encouragement being around this family.

So on Sunday, Elaine and I, and a few of her friends went to an opera entitled L'Elisir D'Amour. It was my first opera ever and I absolutely loved it! I pretty much sat there the whole time with my eyelids wide open and my mouth gaping :) The opera was a classic love story where the male lead is in love with a woman who doesn't love him back, or at least she doesn't realize it ;) The opera was also a comedy so it was a wonderful girl-time.

Later that evening the whole family met at a friend's house for dinner. This time the family was Ukrainian, so we had traditional Ukrainian soup and Russian chicken with rice. I commented to Elaine that since being in Prague I had gotten the chance to experience three completely different cultures: Czech, Korean (dinner at another friend's house), and now Ukrainian. It's been a blast!

On Monday, Elaine and Marek surprised me by taking me along on their night out downtown. We walked around for a long time just looking at the pretty lights and listening to the sounds of the city. We decided to stop into a restaurant on one of the side streets so that I could try a traditional Czech meal. It consisted of roasted duck, bread/potato dumplings, and red cabbage. Sounds a little bizarre, but was actually quite tasty! After that we walked around some more and gazed at the beautiful architecture before grabbing us some ice cream, or rather gelato.

Before I left Prague, I wanted to travel outside of the city to see either more of Czech or another country. With the train system, it is so simple to just hop on a train and go out of the country, and it can be pretty cheap too. Marek and Elaine recommended I go to this small, popular village about 2.5 hours outside Prague. The name of it is Cesky Kumlov and it is breath-taking! The story behind it's beauty is found in the gypsy community. When communism came to Czech the government tore down the majority of the original buildings, but gypsys were living in Cesky Kumlov and the government didn't want anything to do with them. So all of the original buildings have been preserved and restored! It is fascinating that it turned out that way :) I took a bus here and arrived about 4 hours ago and just got back to the hostel that the Mudriks suggested. I'm just spending the night, but I know I will be pretty busy still even though its a small village!

I have loved my stay here, but I have to say I am ready to be home. It's been too long since I've seen my family and my friends, and I am looking forward to catching up on life! I believe I have changed in many ways, and I couldn't be more grateful. God shows himself to me daily and I feel it's even more so because of the experiences I have encountered over the past three months. Thank you so much for all your many prayers and your encouraging words! I would not be here without you all and I pray that God has blessed you on this journey as well!

Huge Cheese and Prayer Beads

This past week in Prague has been uneventful which was refreshing! Yesterday though, Anne Marie had four girls to the house for a sleep over, so you can imagine that the house was chaos :) We ate crepes, made popcorn and watched Freaky Friday on a projector in the living room. It was a fun time! This morning then, all us girls headed to the Farmer's Market to see if we could catch any good deals. It was pretty cold at first, but eventually it warmed up :) The Farmer's Market was quaint with all the vendors in wooden structures selling their goods. We passed by many people selling fresh flowers, breads, meats, and at one structure we saw a HUGE wheel of swiss cheese!!!

So we walked around for awhile and tried some chocolates and cheese. It was a special European experience :) Many people crowded the square for how cold it was! The past few days have been back and forth being warm and then freezing cold, but soon enough it will become a more consistent temperature, I am sure.

From the market, the 9 of us girls walked to a nearby park to play and get warm. The little ones picked flowers and ran around playing Red Light, Green Light, while Elaine and I chatted over some bread and cheese. Anne Marie, the one in the pink in front, truly enjoyed having her friends spend time with her, but of course there was sibling rivalry and tears every so often. Elaine and I were thankful when it was all said and done. Overall though it was a great day! This park is actually in Marek and Elaine's old neighborhood where they lived before going on furlough in the States last year. She was telling me that she spent so many afternoons rocking babies and kissing boo boos at this playground.

I have been so thankful for the time God has given me to spend with the Mudriks, but especially with Elaine. She is such an encouragement! I don't know how she does it with five kids and holding down a household. I ask her frequently, "How do you do it Elaine?" She replies with a sigh and a smirk, "Rae, it's only by the grace and strength of God. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

I was inspired the other day when I saw her Bible and a beaded necklace on the kitchen table. The beaded necklace was a pretty set of rosary beads that I later found out she got as a gift from a friend. I thought to myself, "what a great prayer idea! I should find me some!" Well later this week, I saw a bracelet on Marek's desk that was simply made of wooden beads. I asked Elaine if I could borrow it, and she said I could have it! So I have been using the bracelet as my own personal prayer tool and I love it! Its no wonder nuns and priests have been using them for hundreds of years...they really do help keep you focused while praying for others. So I wear it throughout the day as well to remind me to pray for specific things. I encourage you to find something that will help you stay focused during prayer since that is how our hearts connect to our Father's. It has been a blessing for me! I pray that you all are doing well, and I can't believe I have only one week left until I return to the States! Pray that this last week is blessed :)

Coffee Heaven

As I sit here in Coffee Heaven (a small coffee shop in downtown Prague), I peer out the window to see the hustle and bustle of downtown life. It reminds me of how fast we tend to go through our days and how most of us think that walking slowly or taking a break is a waste of time or unproductive. There are things to do! We have to be on time! I have to get this next thing done so that I can move on to the next project!...etc. I know that is exactly how my life has felt since being in college, but thankfully God changed my perspective a little while in Kenya. Even here in Prague, it is an exercise just to relax and look forward to whatever God brings next. As I was reading in Walking With the Poor yesterday, I came across a quote that states the fact if we want to know God, we have to take the time to do so. The quote reads, "The beginning is the realization that we cannot love our neighbor, or even ourselves, if we are not loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind" (162).

I find that I forget what kinds of things God could do through me if I worked hard at discipline and had confidence in the abilities he gave me. The other night, The Mudriks took me along to a dinner at one of their friends' houses, the Kims. They are Korean missionaries working in Prague, and currently waiting for God's direction on what step to take next. Their daughter, Grace, is 19 and was telling us of some of her dreams for the coming of God's Kingdom in the world. She is passionate and vibrant, but most of all inspiring. Her words, though encouraging, challenged me regarding my own desires for God's Kingdom...am I praying that it comes? Do I truly believe in His power over this world? Hmm...something to take time and ponder.

I didn't end up taking the kids to the zoo on Saturday mainly because everyone was running late and it would just have been easier to do it another day. So I stayed home, ruined some bacon, did some laundry, and rested with the kids! Later in the afternoon once Elaine returned from her meeting, we all headed out to the farm to see it :) It was so beautiful! The kids played in the stream and picked wildflowers while Elaine gave me a tour of their home in progress. Marek spends about 4 days a week working on the house in order to have it ready by this summer. It will happen, God-willing! Above is a picture of one of the paths leading to the creek from the house. And to the left is their home. It is filled with gorgeous stone and wood structuring. The home will be a lovely haven when it is all finished.

Yesterday, I stayed home with Hanna, their youngest, and just rested again since Saturday and Sunday were filled with activity. She watched Dora the Explorer while I completed a project for the Prague school and continued the laundry. It was wonderful! Who knows what the rest of this week will bring? I think Elaine and I might get together with some girls and go see an opera on Sunday...we'll see ;) Well let me leave you with this thought: Many aspects of my life have been brought into the light lately and as I was reading in Psalms this morning I came upon an encouraging verse. Psalms 66:20 says, "Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" Amen. Praise 'befits' him, yes? Much love to all of you...

The History of Tabor

This week I have been able to go to school with Elaine and the kids and just experience a normal day at the Christian International School of Prague. I followed Elaine around to her different classes where she tutors non-native speaking children in learning English, and I have just made myself available to the rest of the staff to perform day-to-day duties for them! They are actually two full-time teachers short due to Visa problems so it is perfect timing for me to be here to offer a helping hand.

Yesterday though was Elaine's day to stay home with their youngest Hannah and get stuff done around the house. However, we took the blessed opportunity to travel outside of Prague and visit one of Elaine's friends, Charis and her kids. We woke up and ran to catch a train to Tabor, a smaller city about an hour and half outside the city. We passed through breath-taking countryside and breathed in fresh, clean air until we were greeted at the station by Charis. Tabor is a town saturated with history and is actually named after Mount Tabor in the Old Testament. It is the town where Jan Hus's followers in the Late Reformation period met together to pray and rally against the forces trying to deter them from their newfound religious freedom.

Charis and her husband, Keith live in the old town so when walking to their house, we strolled down cobblestone roads and used small pathways to make our way to their door. It is getting warmer here in Prague so we spent much of our day just walking around, enjoying the glorious sunshine and taking in all the history! The buildings are quaint and pleasant, filling you with a warm and captivating sensation. It is different from Prague in the sense that much of Prague was damaged by the communists, but some of Tabor had the blessing of being preserved. It is being renovated however, but still is a wonderful place to visit and get outside the city. I wonder what it would have been like to walk those streets hundreds of years ago and to have been there when all the turmoil was happening during the Reformation. Here is an exquisite church in the town square, just across from a yummy Indian restaurant that we dined at for lunch.

I hope to travel to Germany or maybe Austria while I am here as well. With the train system, one can just jump on and take a little day trip to any of the surrounding countries. What an opportunity! Europe is so different from Kenya, but beautiful in its own way. Praise God for the diversity of his Kingdom. He is needed everywhere, but He is always present. Tomorrow, I am going to take the four girls and a friend to the zoo since Marek and Elaine will be in meetings. Pray for me that I don't lose one of them :)! I am not worried. It will be an adventure, right! Thank you all for your prayers and support. I pray that you have a blessed day!