So, in coming over here to the Czech, I knew that this was the beer capitol of the world. I mean, beer and alcohol is cheaper than water! And I was ok with the full bars in the gyms, ice cream shops, and every little restaurant. But yesterday I saw something just a little too over the top for me.
I'm walking from my flat to the metro, taking the new shorter way that I found just a few weeks ago. Along the way I pass the radio tower, a hair salon, a paint store, and several miscellaneous buildings. Now, every other time that I've passed this hair salon, the lights have apparently been turned off. Because as I pass the salon this particular morning, I can see in the window. Much to my surprise, there is a full bar along one side of the salon! Maybe the hair stylists who work there aren't all that good, and need their customers to be a little on the happy side to get away with their haircuts. I don't know. But it just totally surprised me to find that there are bars in hair salons here.
In His Time,
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
God Loves Freely
I've been reading The Ragamuffin Gospel, along with Colossians. I am astonished how much The One Thing - pursuing God as the only thing in my life - permeates Colossians. Not astonished that it's there, but that I missed it before. I mean, I memorized the book, quoted it once or twice a week in my prime review season.
But both The Ragamuffin Gospel and Colossians underscore a truth that I've been realizing with fresh, bracing, shocking, astonishing clarity. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. He loves me so unconditionally, so completely and fully. There is nothing I can do, did do, will do, that prompted this. Nothing causes this love, except God. I can't do anything to make him love me - either more, or at all. He loves me just as I am, right now. He loves me this way just as much as if I did something that seems great in His name. He loves me this way just as much now as he would if I launched a nuclear weapon as Tokyo, the largest city in the world.
This is outrageous. It's not fair. God loves people who don't deserve it. They don't have to do anything for Him, there are no requirements or strings on His love. So what's to keep me from not doing anything for Him? I'm concerned that I'm just going to stop working for Him, get lazy. I take things to Him all the time mentally, talking them over with Him. But I don't have to do anything.
In His Time,
But both The Ragamuffin Gospel and Colossians underscore a truth that I've been realizing with fresh, bracing, shocking, astonishing clarity. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. He loves me so unconditionally, so completely and fully. There is nothing I can do, did do, will do, that prompted this. Nothing causes this love, except God. I can't do anything to make him love me - either more, or at all. He loves me just as I am, right now. He loves me this way just as much as if I did something that seems great in His name. He loves me this way just as much now as he would if I launched a nuclear weapon as Tokyo, the largest city in the world.
This is outrageous. It's not fair. God loves people who don't deserve it. They don't have to do anything for Him, there are no requirements or strings on His love. So what's to keep me from not doing anything for Him? I'm concerned that I'm just going to stop working for Him, get lazy. I take things to Him all the time mentally, talking them over with Him. But I don't have to do anything.
In His Time,
Joeletter 8.2
I'm just barely slipping a second Joeletter for this month in. It's amazing how time is flying by over here. (We had Daylight Savings Time kick in, losing an hour by setting our clocks forward).
Again, so much has happened. First of all, some sad news. Satan is seeking new ways to discourage us. Last Monday night the Impact office was broken into. The thieves bent apart two of the 1/4 in. steel bars over the windows and made off with two laptops and a large amount of money.
But there is happy news too. One of the Impact-Munich staff was able to drive down to Prague and visit us over the Easter weekend. It was a great blessing to have Sandy here. In addition, students from Johnson Bible College traveled up from a town on the southern border of the Czech Republic to be with us as well.
Over the Easter weekend we held an Easter Vigil in our under-development Prayer Room. The walls are painted, but the floors are still bare and there is no permanent source of heat yet. A large rug was brought in, along with a small electric heater. Friday night we opened the weekend with a candlelight service commemorating Jesus' death. We had singing, prayer, and Scripture readings. At the close of the service we extinguished all of the candles, representing Christ's light going out of the world.
Immediately following the service we began the prayer vigil. I was able to take the first hour shift. We were reminded that prayer is not simply sitting and talking to God, though that is a major portion of it. Prayer is also praising God through music, art, and dance, and reading His Word. I was very blessed by the time I was able to spend as part of the vigil.
Unbroken, the vigil continued until Saturday night. Several people were involved, including the JBC group, the Impact team, and other Christians here in the city. At this service we entered and held unlit candles. A lighted candle, representing Christ's Light, came into the Prayer center. From this central candle each Christian lit our own small candle. What had been a dark room was filled with light.
Again on Saturday we had a time of singing, Scripture reading, communion, and a time of blessing and anointing. The vigil continued through Saturday night, and ended Sunday morning with a third service celebrating the resurrection.
On Saturday I was also able to visit one of my Czech friends, Filip, at his house twenty minutes outside of Prague. He had invited me to come go downhill biking with him. Not knowing exactly what that was (but wanting to be able to spend time with him), I agreed. When I got off the train I borrowed his brother's bike and we set off for the hill. First of all, Filip's brother is taller than me. So when sitting on the seat of his bike, I was not able to touch the ground with my feet.
But that was okay, I was still able to ride along and balance myself fine. After all, riding a bike isn't about your feet touching the ground. We got to the hill, and started up. Now, this hill turned out to be a wooded, rocky kind of hill. There were trails cut through it, and jumps and steeps banked turns thickly sprinkled throughout.
I had agreed, upon borrowing the bike, not to do any jumping with it. In the first place, I didn't know how to jump, and in the second place the seat was too high for me to land safely anyway. So as I looked at the jumps and turns scattered along the trail, I knew that I was not going to try any of them. I figured that I would just sedately pedal along down the hill.
We kept climbing, and passing more and more insane jumps. At several of them Filip would turn around and do them a few times, showing me how it worked. He did them quite well. But I knew that I couldn't. Nevertheless, he urged me to try them. He even lent me his bike to ride, because it was more suited to downhill jumping. I got started trying once, riding down the hill toward a very big U in the ground. But two yards into it, bumping over the stones and tree-roots embedded in the trail, I knew that this was a very bad idea and I quickly stopped.
All this fear was present before Filip told me how one time he had taken this same jump and accidentally bent his front wheel sideways at the bottom of the U. The bike stopped. Filip didn't. He flew into a tree, cracking his helmet into two pieces. Fortunately for him, he was fine. But his friend, about a week later, did something similar without a helmet, and had to be helicoptered off the mountain. I didn't have a helmet. And I had never tried this extreme sport before. So, I decided to be a live chicken rather than a dead lion, and told Filip I just couldn't do it.
He was very gracious, though he didn't completely understand how a person wouldn't want to at least try this insane, extreme sport. I agreed to watch him do a few more jumps before lunch. Because in all truth, it is very exciting to be there in person and watch these riders pedal down the trail and take the jumps. But the second time Filip tried the jump, he tumbled out of control himself, hurting his back. At this point I knew that it was not cowardice but wisdom that was keeping me from trying the hill. Well, I knew before, but this just proved my point - both to myself and to Filip.
We walked back to his house for lunch, and I got to meet his parents. He showed me some pictures on his computer, we went for a walk, climbed a tree, built a fire, and watched a man fly his remote control airplane over the hillside. All in all, it was a good day.
Sunday night and Monday I got to spend with the students from JBC. We visited Cream & Dream, the best ice cream shop I have ever been too. The shop itself is in Old Town, a very picturesque and ancient part of the city. It's a huge tourist magnet, and for good reason. But being so old, it's very difficult to find your way around in Old Town, especially when you haven't spent much time there. What I am trying to say is, we briefly got lost. Yes, I know what I say - "I'm never lost, I know exactly where I am. It's just getting to where I'm going that's the hard part." And that would be true. But to all you Negative Nancy's, we were lost.
One of the brilliant ideas that the team had was implemented on the way to Cream & Dream. When writing thank you notes to the supporters who had allowed them to take this mission trip, why not write them on post cards from Prague?! So we stopped at a store and they picked out cards. In addition, a few of them started their shopping.
Duke bought a toboggan style hat. Some call them a beanie cap, but this doesn't have a propeller on top. It is a knit, stretchy, warm hat. In the front it says Czech Republic, with the national crest. Later than night Ross was describing something to me, and said, "It was the same color as Duke's hat, that kind of yellow." Duke snatched the hat off his head, looked at it, and exclaimed, "What! This hat is yellow?! I thought it was blue! Why'd you let me buy a yellow hat! People have been looking at me all night. I thought it was 'cause they were admiring how cool I looked. It's 'cause I'm wearing a yellow hat with my black jacket!!!!" It was absolutely hysterical. Apparently Duke had in his head that he wanted to buy the blue hat, and had mentally stopped paying attention to the color as he bought it and put it on.
We did find our way to Cream & Dream, and the team graciously paid for my ice cream. In fact, the team graciously paid for a lot of my meals while they were here. I became quite fond of them. Apparently the feeling was mutual, because they invited me to join them Monday for their shopping/siteseeing time in the city.
With much joy I accepted the invitation and joined them bright and early at one of the Metro stops. We visited a park with a great view of the city and took several pictures. Then we visited Bohemia Bagel, the only place in the city where they sell a bagel breakfast. I ordered and took a couple tables, saving them for the rest of the group. But when I looked back, I didn't see the group!! My bagel came, so I started eating it. They still weren't there, so in confusion I pocketed the other half of my bagel (which tasted fantastic as usual) and caught a tram to where I knew they were planning on heading next. They weren't there when I arrived, so I waited.
When they showed up, it turns out that they had gone to the cafe next door. They had told me, but I was focusing on the cashier and hadn't heard. With much rejoicing we were reunited, and set off to do more shopping.
The girl I was accompanying, Tabi, and I visited the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments. It was the kind of place where you talked in hushed voices. It's beyond me how anyone could inflict this kind of damage on another human being. These instruments were designed to create suffering, most of them maximum suffering with minimum effort. We humans are capable of such destructive acts.
The JBC team left today and flew back to the States. I miss them a lot, and not just because they fed me. In the short time they were here they extended a lot of love to me. I was very blessed by their visit.
In His Time,
Again, so much has happened. First of all, some sad news. Satan is seeking new ways to discourage us. Last Monday night the Impact office was broken into. The thieves bent apart two of the 1/4 in. steel bars over the windows and made off with two laptops and a large amount of money.
But there is happy news too. One of the Impact-Munich staff was able to drive down to Prague and visit us over the Easter weekend. It was a great blessing to have Sandy here. In addition, students from Johnson Bible College traveled up from a town on the southern border of the Czech Republic to be with us as well.
Over the Easter weekend we held an Easter Vigil in our under-development Prayer Room. The walls are painted, but the floors are still bare and there is no permanent source of heat yet. A large rug was brought in, along with a small electric heater. Friday night we opened the weekend with a candlelight service commemorating Jesus' death. We had singing, prayer, and Scripture readings. At the close of the service we extinguished all of the candles, representing Christ's light going out of the world.
Immediately following the service we began the prayer vigil. I was able to take the first hour shift. We were reminded that prayer is not simply sitting and talking to God, though that is a major portion of it. Prayer is also praising God through music, art, and dance, and reading His Word. I was very blessed by the time I was able to spend as part of the vigil.
Unbroken, the vigil continued until Saturday night. Several people were involved, including the JBC group, the Impact team, and other Christians here in the city. At this service we entered and held unlit candles. A lighted candle, representing Christ's Light, came into the Prayer center. From this central candle each Christian lit our own small candle. What had been a dark room was filled with light.
Again on Saturday we had a time of singing, Scripture reading, communion, and a time of blessing and anointing. The vigil continued through Saturday night, and ended Sunday morning with a third service celebrating the resurrection.
On Saturday I was also able to visit one of my Czech friends, Filip, at his house twenty minutes outside of Prague. He had invited me to come go downhill biking with him. Not knowing exactly what that was (but wanting to be able to spend time with him), I agreed. When I got off the train I borrowed his brother's bike and we set off for the hill. First of all, Filip's brother is taller than me. So when sitting on the seat of his bike, I was not able to touch the ground with my feet.
But that was okay, I was still able to ride along and balance myself fine. After all, riding a bike isn't about your feet touching the ground. We got to the hill, and started up. Now, this hill turned out to be a wooded, rocky kind of hill. There were trails cut through it, and jumps and steeps banked turns thickly sprinkled throughout.
I had agreed, upon borrowing the bike, not to do any jumping with it. In the first place, I didn't know how to jump, and in the second place the seat was too high for me to land safely anyway. So as I looked at the jumps and turns scattered along the trail, I knew that I was not going to try any of them. I figured that I would just sedately pedal along down the hill.
We kept climbing, and passing more and more insane jumps. At several of them Filip would turn around and do them a few times, showing me how it worked. He did them quite well. But I knew that I couldn't. Nevertheless, he urged me to try them. He even lent me his bike to ride, because it was more suited to downhill jumping. I got started trying once, riding down the hill toward a very big U in the ground. But two yards into it, bumping over the stones and tree-roots embedded in the trail, I knew that this was a very bad idea and I quickly stopped.
All this fear was present before Filip told me how one time he had taken this same jump and accidentally bent his front wheel sideways at the bottom of the U. The bike stopped. Filip didn't. He flew into a tree, cracking his helmet into two pieces. Fortunately for him, he was fine. But his friend, about a week later, did something similar without a helmet, and had to be helicoptered off the mountain. I didn't have a helmet. And I had never tried this extreme sport before. So, I decided to be a live chicken rather than a dead lion, and told Filip I just couldn't do it.
He was very gracious, though he didn't completely understand how a person wouldn't want to at least try this insane, extreme sport. I agreed to watch him do a few more jumps before lunch. Because in all truth, it is very exciting to be there in person and watch these riders pedal down the trail and take the jumps. But the second time Filip tried the jump, he tumbled out of control himself, hurting his back. At this point I knew that it was not cowardice but wisdom that was keeping me from trying the hill. Well, I knew before, but this just proved my point - both to myself and to Filip.
We walked back to his house for lunch, and I got to meet his parents. He showed me some pictures on his computer, we went for a walk, climbed a tree, built a fire, and watched a man fly his remote control airplane over the hillside. All in all, it was a good day.
Sunday night and Monday I got to spend with the students from JBC. We visited Cream & Dream, the best ice cream shop I have ever been too. The shop itself is in Old Town, a very picturesque and ancient part of the city. It's a huge tourist magnet, and for good reason. But being so old, it's very difficult to find your way around in Old Town, especially when you haven't spent much time there. What I am trying to say is, we briefly got lost. Yes, I know what I say - "I'm never lost, I know exactly where I am. It's just getting to where I'm going that's the hard part." And that would be true. But to all you Negative Nancy's, we were lost.
One of the brilliant ideas that the team had was implemented on the way to Cream & Dream. When writing thank you notes to the supporters who had allowed them to take this mission trip, why not write them on post cards from Prague?! So we stopped at a store and they picked out cards. In addition, a few of them started their shopping.
Duke bought a toboggan style hat. Some call them a beanie cap, but this doesn't have a propeller on top. It is a knit, stretchy, warm hat. In the front it says Czech Republic, with the national crest. Later than night Ross was describing something to me, and said, "It was the same color as Duke's hat, that kind of yellow." Duke snatched the hat off his head, looked at it, and exclaimed, "What! This hat is yellow?! I thought it was blue! Why'd you let me buy a yellow hat! People have been looking at me all night. I thought it was 'cause they were admiring how cool I looked. It's 'cause I'm wearing a yellow hat with my black jacket!!!!" It was absolutely hysterical. Apparently Duke had in his head that he wanted to buy the blue hat, and had mentally stopped paying attention to the color as he bought it and put it on.
We did find our way to Cream & Dream, and the team graciously paid for my ice cream. In fact, the team graciously paid for a lot of my meals while they were here. I became quite fond of them. Apparently the feeling was mutual, because they invited me to join them Monday for their shopping/siteseeing time in the city.
With much joy I accepted the invitation and joined them bright and early at one of the Metro stops. We visited a park with a great view of the city and took several pictures. Then we visited Bohemia Bagel, the only place in the city where they sell a bagel breakfast. I ordered and took a couple tables, saving them for the rest of the group. But when I looked back, I didn't see the group!! My bagel came, so I started eating it. They still weren't there, so in confusion I pocketed the other half of my bagel (which tasted fantastic as usual) and caught a tram to where I knew they were planning on heading next. They weren't there when I arrived, so I waited.
When they showed up, it turns out that they had gone to the cafe next door. They had told me, but I was focusing on the cashier and hadn't heard. With much rejoicing we were reunited, and set off to do more shopping.
The girl I was accompanying, Tabi, and I visited the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments. It was the kind of place where you talked in hushed voices. It's beyond me how anyone could inflict this kind of damage on another human being. These instruments were designed to create suffering, most of them maximum suffering with minimum effort. We humans are capable of such destructive acts.
The JBC team left today and flew back to the States. I miss them a lot, and not just because they fed me. In the short time they were here they extended a lot of love to me. I was very blessed by their visit.
In His Time,
Monday, March 21, 2005
So....Shumdla
Um, I just found out more what Shumdla really means. You remember Snow White and the Seven Dwarves? Yeah, can you name all them? The last one, the one who looked kinda funny, with the funny hat, his name was Dopey. So, apparently, his name in Czech is Shumdla. And that's now my name as well. haha, thanks to all my good Czech friends.
In His Time,
In His Time,
Confusion in the Streets
So, according to one of our friends here from the States, they periodically reroute all the trams to make it more difficult for foreigners to get around. I'm starting to believe him.
On Wednesdays I help teach English during the midday, then catch a tram to meet with the Impact team for prayer. The number 18 tram goes directly from where I help teach to where we would be meeting, at Steve Cone's flat. Well, normally it does.
As the tram pulled up, I noticed that over the sign where the tram stops for that particular tram are posted, was a large yellow sign. But since it was in Czeck, I causally disregarded it. Mistake number one.
I got on, rode for a few stops, and all was as it should be. Then we pulled into Hradchanska. This is where the tram should have turned to go to Steve's flat. But to my great consternation, we went in what I knew to be the wrong direction! My mind flashed back to that yellow paper in horror.
At the very next stop I got off the tram and started walking back in the other direction. At the place where Tram 18 should have turned, I turned and walked to the next tram station. Just as I got there, Tram 1 pulled in. I knew that Tram 1 also went to Steve's flat, so I boarded and sat down. We started off in the right direction, and all was fine. But presently I realized that this tram was going in the wrong direction in it's circuit. It would eventually turn around and go back the way it had come from, taking me to Steve's. But it would be much faster to get off and board Tram 1 going in the other direction. So at the first opportunity I stepped off.
Tram 1 going in the other direction came along and I boarded with a sigh of relief. I was fairly late at this point, but that was ok. The rest of the team would understand. I rode for a few stops, and noticed that this tram was also going in the wrong direction!!!!!! You must understand, trams only go two directions in their circuit. They either go the way you want to go, or they go the direct opposite way. But here, for the first time, a dreadful new twist had been added to the tram condrum. Of the two directions the trams were running, neither of them were right!
thoroughly disgusted and weirded out at this point, I thought briefly about commandeering a tram and driving myself to my destination. Well, I thought more than briefly about it. But good sense prevailed, and I got off at a place where I knew I could walk to Steve's house.
Since that ridiculous day the trams have returned to normal, and everything is as it should be now. But I will always look with fondness on the day I almost commandeered a tram.
In His Time,
On Wednesdays I help teach English during the midday, then catch a tram to meet with the Impact team for prayer. The number 18 tram goes directly from where I help teach to where we would be meeting, at Steve Cone's flat. Well, normally it does.
As the tram pulled up, I noticed that over the sign where the tram stops for that particular tram are posted, was a large yellow sign. But since it was in Czeck, I causally disregarded it. Mistake number one.
I got on, rode for a few stops, and all was as it should be. Then we pulled into Hradchanska. This is where the tram should have turned to go to Steve's flat. But to my great consternation, we went in what I knew to be the wrong direction! My mind flashed back to that yellow paper in horror.
At the very next stop I got off the tram and started walking back in the other direction. At the place where Tram 18 should have turned, I turned and walked to the next tram station. Just as I got there, Tram 1 pulled in. I knew that Tram 1 also went to Steve's flat, so I boarded and sat down. We started off in the right direction, and all was fine. But presently I realized that this tram was going in the wrong direction in it's circuit. It would eventually turn around and go back the way it had come from, taking me to Steve's. But it would be much faster to get off and board Tram 1 going in the other direction. So at the first opportunity I stepped off.
Tram 1 going in the other direction came along and I boarded with a sigh of relief. I was fairly late at this point, but that was ok. The rest of the team would understand. I rode for a few stops, and noticed that this tram was also going in the wrong direction!!!!!! You must understand, trams only go two directions in their circuit. They either go the way you want to go, or they go the direct opposite way. But here, for the first time, a dreadful new twist had been added to the tram condrum. Of the two directions the trams were running, neither of them were right!
thoroughly disgusted and weirded out at this point, I thought briefly about commandeering a tram and driving myself to my destination. Well, I thought more than briefly about it. But good sense prevailed, and I got off at a place where I knew I could walk to Steve's house.
Since that ridiculous day the trams have returned to normal, and everything is as it should be now. But I will always look with fondness on the day I almost commandeered a tram.
In His Time,
JBC Group
Today a group of ten students from Johnson Bible College flew over from the States. They landed here in Praha, and are taking a train down south to a town right on the border of the CR to do some work until Thursday. On Thursday they will ride back up and join us here in Prague for Easter weekend.
Along with them is Jonathan Ruff, one of the DTI students from last year. His overseas site was also Prague. During the week that the JBC students are here in the CR working, he is staying at Ben and my (our) flat. It's nice to have him here.
But the biggest surprise I saved for last. As we met the group, I saw someone who looked vaguely familiar. The thought ran through my head, "How random would it be for this guy to be here?" Taking the chance, I sidled over to him and said "Where ya from, brother?" Much to my satisfaction, he answered, "Batesville, Indiana."
This guy, Ross, went to the same Church Camp back home that I grew up in. I hadn't seen him for a couple of years, following a week of camp together. Now, here he is, in his second year at JBC, on a trip to Prague. And wonder of wonders, here I am too! It's amazing how our Father works.
Along with them is Jonathan Ruff, one of the DTI students from last year. His overseas site was also Prague. During the week that the JBC students are here in the CR working, he is staying at Ben and my (our) flat. It's nice to have him here.
But the biggest surprise I saved for last. As we met the group, I saw someone who looked vaguely familiar. The thought ran through my head, "How random would it be for this guy to be here?" Taking the chance, I sidled over to him and said "Where ya from, brother?" Much to my satisfaction, he answered, "Batesville, Indiana."
This guy, Ross, went to the same Church Camp back home that I grew up in. I hadn't seen him for a couple of years, following a week of camp together. Now, here he is, in his second year at JBC, on a trip to Prague. And wonder of wonders, here I am too! It's amazing how our Father works.
The other half of the skiing trip
So we didn't just spend time skiing on the trip to the alps. That was, of course, the upfront reason that we went, and the reason people joined the trip. But the secondary purpose in going was to help present the Christian worldview to people who didn't really know what it was/is.
In the evenings we gathered in the main room after supper. Different student leaders were assigned each night to lead us in a game or two. One evening we played King Frog. Following the game time we had a short song service. We took Impact's new djimbe along, and I got to play each evening. Then came the sharing time. One of our student leaders was either interviewed by Brian, our leader, or shared their testimony. Then came the main speaker for the evening. Different leaders spoke each evening, presenting a story from the Bible in a new way. They each encouraged us to consider the Christian worldview, referring to the story and the effect that Jesus had.
All but one night finished out with us getting into groups of those we roomed with. In each group we talked over a few questions that stemmed from the evening's subject. The goal was to help stimulate more thoughts on what was presented, the Christian worldview. It was very interesting to me to hear different worldviews, and see some things that I agreed with. At the same time, there were several things that I didn't agree with. It was a wonderful time for me to think, just as much as I hope they were doing.
The last night that we met, after the groups time, most of us left and went to bed. The next morning I heard that one of the students had chosen to accept Christ that night. He was one of the ones we had each privately considered most unlikely to choose our Savior. It was amazing.
In His Time,
In the evenings we gathered in the main room after supper. Different student leaders were assigned each night to lead us in a game or two. One evening we played King Frog. Following the game time we had a short song service. We took Impact's new djimbe along, and I got to play each evening. Then came the sharing time. One of our student leaders was either interviewed by Brian, our leader, or shared their testimony. Then came the main speaker for the evening. Different leaders spoke each evening, presenting a story from the Bible in a new way. They each encouraged us to consider the Christian worldview, referring to the story and the effect that Jesus had.
All but one night finished out with us getting into groups of those we roomed with. In each group we talked over a few questions that stemmed from the evening's subject. The goal was to help stimulate more thoughts on what was presented, the Christian worldview. It was very interesting to me to hear different worldviews, and see some things that I agreed with. At the same time, there were several things that I didn't agree with. It was a wonderful time for me to think, just as much as I hope they were doing.
The last night that we met, after the groups time, most of us left and went to bed. The next morning I heard that one of the students had chosen to accept Christ that night. He was one of the ones we had each privately considered most unlikely to choose our Savior. It was amazing.
In His Time,
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Joeletter ..... Um... 8.1?
Ok, wow, it's been a very, very, very long time since I updated this blog, or wrote to anyone. I'm sorry, kinda. What I mean is, I'm sorry that I wasn't able to let people know what all is going on. But the reason for that, well, I'm not so sorry that it was impossible for me to write to you all. Let me explain. Brace yourselves, sit down in your computer-desk chair. This past week, from last Saturday to last Thursday I went downhill snowskiing in the Austrian Alps!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely amazing! For me it was the skiing experience of a lifetime. Let me try to paint you a picture of what it all was like. I'll start with the lift tickets. Now, you must have a lift ticket to get carried up the mountain (yes, mountain). I am only used to a lift ticket that you clip onto your clothing and forget about. But here, they have a much nicer system. Each lift ticket is magnetically charged. So you ski up to the turnstyle, maneuver your ticket close to the reader (it looks like those shoplifting sensors at the doors of big stores) and it lets you through. Now, that's all well and good. But the best part is that you can put that ticket anywhere (like in a small pocket in your glove) and it will work through the fabric. You don't even have to get it out, just hold your glove by the reader and ski through. So that was the first neat thing. Next comes the gondolas. To get up the first half of the mountain you ride inside these gondolas. It comes around the corner, and you slide the ends of your skiis into slots that hold them outside the cabin. Then you step in through the little door with your ski poles. You can fit up to six people, three to a side, in each cabin. But we usually just fit five in, because it can get a little tight with all those people. You ride for about fifteen minutes and then step out of the gondola and grab your skiis at the other end of the line.
But this is only halfway up the mountain. You can choose to ski down from here, or ski to the other main lift that takes you the rest of the way up to the top of the mountain. Now, this lift is not the gondola type, but the chairlift type. You ski up to the line, and a chair comes around behind you and scoops you up. This is the type of lift I am used to from skiing in Indiana. But I had never seen a chair lift that was so large! This chairlift could carry six people per chair. And it came with ski rests! You pulled a metal bar down from above your head and rested your skiis on the ski rest. It was very nice. And last, but not least, was a clear plastic bubble that could also be pulled down over the chairlift. If the weather was nasty, or the wind was blowing, you could seal it all out on the way up the mountain, and ride in perfect peace.
But that's not what you wanted to hear about. Those are just some of the neat amenities that were offered. Now on to the real skiing.
At the very top of our mountain you could look all around, in every direction. And in every direction you could see mountains that were higher than us. Gorgeous, giant, snow-capped, craggy, majestic mountains. I don't know for sure just what it is, but every time I see mountains I am amazed and impressed by their majesty. And to think that our God made them. He is so much more majestic, so much grander, so awesome.
The mountain was covered with pine trees. It was a beautiful contrast to see the shining white snow and the dark green fir trees. But there was something that I'm still curious about. There were many, many pine trees there that had no needles on them. It is, according to my friends, an evergreen tree that is not evergreen. They didn't know the English name for them, but thought maybe it was spruce? I'd sure like to know, if anyone has any experience with pine trees that drop their needles in the winter.
On the first day of skiing the snow was okay, a little thick maybe. In the morning it was a little blustery, but afternoon brought a brilliant blue sky and excellent skiing on the lower half of the mountain. I've never had so much fun skiing in my life! That first day also brought my first skiing mistake. In an area that had some thick snow, I fell and twisted my left knee/ankle. It hurt quite a bit for about a minute, and then I was able to stand up. Fortunately the boot kept my ankle from twisting too far. My knee had definitely been twisted farther around than it was used to going. But after about a minute I was able to get up and keep skiing. I just had to be a little gentle when skiing on my left side.
I was able to keep skiing all the rest of that day without any problem. But on the bus ride to where we were staying, and while sitting that evening, my knee got really stiff. That seemed to confirm to me that it was just sore, and that the best thing for it would be to keep working it out by skiing on it. I was able to borrow a knee brace from one of the other guys for our second day of skiing, and it was a big help.
So we stayed at a retreat center run by a church in a small town about 30 mountain minutes from the ski resort. I say mountain minutes because it must take longer to drive anywhere in the mountains that it does on the flat lands of my upbringing. Each morning we took a bus at nine o'clock to the skiing mountain.
On the second day, skiing conditions were perfect. The ski was a deep, gorgeous blue. The mountains surrounding us were crystal clear. The snow was just right - not too slushy, not too icy, just perfect. I was able to ski just fine and totally forget about my knee, again proving to me that it just needed to be worked out. We were nearing the end of the day when I made my second skiing mistake. This one was much better than my first one though.
Ok, so I'm skiing down the mountain. I decide try a run I had only gone on one time before, on our first day of skiing. It's a very easy run, just a straightaway out on a slight incline, then a 180 degree turnaround and back in the direction you came from. Now, all the time this run is heading down. So if you looked at the run from a point off of the mountain, it would look like a V on it's side. You would ski down the upper part of the V, then turn around and ski down the lower part.
So I'm cruising down the upper part of the V, trying to keep my speed up. This particular run isn't very steep, so if you don't keep up your speed you might end up poling along. Well, I remembered that there was a shortcut right where the two legs of the V-on-it's-side come together. If you take the shortcut, it can add to your speed. Well, in the interest of speed I decided to take it. I came right up to where it should be, slewed around and shot over the edge onto the shortcut. Except for one small problem. I had turned too soon! So when I shot over the edge onto what should have been the shortcut, I actually came over the side, bounced off of the shortcut trail, and fell off of it! I ended up twisting my right knee in the same way as my left one, except not as badly.
But, again, it just needed to be skiied off, and I was able to finish out the rest of the week without any more injuries. Right now my right knee is fine most of the time, and my left knee just needs a little more time. It's still sore and a little weak, but I'm sure it's healing fine. I was able to ski the best I think I've ever skiied in my life on this mountain, even doing an Alpine Black Diamond run a couple/three times. (Black diamonds are the hardest designation in skiing). My skiing improved, and now what all my instructors in the States were trying to teach me makes so much more sense.
One of the funniest things about skiing in the Alps is the weather. While it is cold enough to maintain snow, the sun is out every day. Several people got sunburns, and I was soaked with sweat for the first few days until I was able to figure out a layering system that was light enough to cool off in.
But the best part about the skiing trip, as incredible as it was, was not the skiing. This week was being run as a skiing camp, inviting both students who did and who didn't know about Jesus to come. Each evening we would play a couple games, have a few songs, then have a short time of teaching/informing. Wednesday night, the last night that we stayed there, one of the students asked Jesus into his heart! It was amazing to see God working in this way. And it was so wonderful to welcome a new brother.
Those are some highlights from the ski trip. I'd also like to share a highlight from before the ski trip. The night before we left we ate supper at a restaurant here in Prague. Jeff, the Impact team leader, knows the restaurant very well, and he got our menus for us from the little holder. I did not know how surprised and happy I would be to open the menu and read it in English! I didn't think the language barrier was really bothering me. But it brought me way too much happiness to be able to open the menu and read what all they were offering. We don't eat out very much, when when we do it's kinda frustrating to partly guess what all you are ordering. Culture shock.
The weather on the ski trip was absolutely gorgeous. When we returned to Praha, it followed us here, at least for Friday. I felt like a whole new person in a whole new city with the added warmth. It was up to about 10 degrees C, which is about 50 degrees F. Our usual temperature is 0 degrees C, 32 F. So you can imagine how much nicer it felt. This morning it started to get colder again. I'm hoping that was a fluke, and it warms up again. It's really nice to be in a warm Prague.
Tonight they will be holding what I think is the World Championship for hacky-sack here in Prague. As I was walking to the tram a man asked me where the Metro Station was. I took him there, and it turns out he was looking for an ATM to get out the registration fee to enter the hacky-sack tournament. For three years now, if I understood correctly, the World Champion has been a certain resident of Prague. It only costs 50 crowns to watch, and I think it's being held right by my house. So, I'm planning to go watch tonight. It may be something that God is doing, connecting with people. At the very least I can pick up some hacky-sack moves!
Well, that's a lot of the news from this end of the world. It's always good to hear from you all, even when I can't respond as fast as I'd like.
In His Time,
But this is only halfway up the mountain. You can choose to ski down from here, or ski to the other main lift that takes you the rest of the way up to the top of the mountain. Now, this lift is not the gondola type, but the chairlift type. You ski up to the line, and a chair comes around behind you and scoops you up. This is the type of lift I am used to from skiing in Indiana. But I had never seen a chair lift that was so large! This chairlift could carry six people per chair. And it came with ski rests! You pulled a metal bar down from above your head and rested your skiis on the ski rest. It was very nice. And last, but not least, was a clear plastic bubble that could also be pulled down over the chairlift. If the weather was nasty, or the wind was blowing, you could seal it all out on the way up the mountain, and ride in perfect peace.
But that's not what you wanted to hear about. Those are just some of the neat amenities that were offered. Now on to the real skiing.
At the very top of our mountain you could look all around, in every direction. And in every direction you could see mountains that were higher than us. Gorgeous, giant, snow-capped, craggy, majestic mountains. I don't know for sure just what it is, but every time I see mountains I am amazed and impressed by their majesty. And to think that our God made them. He is so much more majestic, so much grander, so awesome.
The mountain was covered with pine trees. It was a beautiful contrast to see the shining white snow and the dark green fir trees. But there was something that I'm still curious about. There were many, many pine trees there that had no needles on them. It is, according to my friends, an evergreen tree that is not evergreen. They didn't know the English name for them, but thought maybe it was spruce? I'd sure like to know, if anyone has any experience with pine trees that drop their needles in the winter.
On the first day of skiing the snow was okay, a little thick maybe. In the morning it was a little blustery, but afternoon brought a brilliant blue sky and excellent skiing on the lower half of the mountain. I've never had so much fun skiing in my life! That first day also brought my first skiing mistake. In an area that had some thick snow, I fell and twisted my left knee/ankle. It hurt quite a bit for about a minute, and then I was able to stand up. Fortunately the boot kept my ankle from twisting too far. My knee had definitely been twisted farther around than it was used to going. But after about a minute I was able to get up and keep skiing. I just had to be a little gentle when skiing on my left side.
I was able to keep skiing all the rest of that day without any problem. But on the bus ride to where we were staying, and while sitting that evening, my knee got really stiff. That seemed to confirm to me that it was just sore, and that the best thing for it would be to keep working it out by skiing on it. I was able to borrow a knee brace from one of the other guys for our second day of skiing, and it was a big help.
So we stayed at a retreat center run by a church in a small town about 30 mountain minutes from the ski resort. I say mountain minutes because it must take longer to drive anywhere in the mountains that it does on the flat lands of my upbringing. Each morning we took a bus at nine o'clock to the skiing mountain.
On the second day, skiing conditions were perfect. The ski was a deep, gorgeous blue. The mountains surrounding us were crystal clear. The snow was just right - not too slushy, not too icy, just perfect. I was able to ski just fine and totally forget about my knee, again proving to me that it just needed to be worked out. We were nearing the end of the day when I made my second skiing mistake. This one was much better than my first one though.
Ok, so I'm skiing down the mountain. I decide try a run I had only gone on one time before, on our first day of skiing. It's a very easy run, just a straightaway out on a slight incline, then a 180 degree turnaround and back in the direction you came from. Now, all the time this run is heading down. So if you looked at the run from a point off of the mountain, it would look like a V on it's side. You would ski down the upper part of the V, then turn around and ski down the lower part.
So I'm cruising down the upper part of the V, trying to keep my speed up. This particular run isn't very steep, so if you don't keep up your speed you might end up poling along. Well, I remembered that there was a shortcut right where the two legs of the V-on-it's-side come together. If you take the shortcut, it can add to your speed. Well, in the interest of speed I decided to take it. I came right up to where it should be, slewed around and shot over the edge onto the shortcut. Except for one small problem. I had turned too soon! So when I shot over the edge onto what should have been the shortcut, I actually came over the side, bounced off of the shortcut trail, and fell off of it! I ended up twisting my right knee in the same way as my left one, except not as badly.
But, again, it just needed to be skiied off, and I was able to finish out the rest of the week without any more injuries. Right now my right knee is fine most of the time, and my left knee just needs a little more time. It's still sore and a little weak, but I'm sure it's healing fine. I was able to ski the best I think I've ever skiied in my life on this mountain, even doing an Alpine Black Diamond run a couple/three times. (Black diamonds are the hardest designation in skiing). My skiing improved, and now what all my instructors in the States were trying to teach me makes so much more sense.
One of the funniest things about skiing in the Alps is the weather. While it is cold enough to maintain snow, the sun is out every day. Several people got sunburns, and I was soaked with sweat for the first few days until I was able to figure out a layering system that was light enough to cool off in.
But the best part about the skiing trip, as incredible as it was, was not the skiing. This week was being run as a skiing camp, inviting both students who did and who didn't know about Jesus to come. Each evening we would play a couple games, have a few songs, then have a short time of teaching/informing. Wednesday night, the last night that we stayed there, one of the students asked Jesus into his heart! It was amazing to see God working in this way. And it was so wonderful to welcome a new brother.
Those are some highlights from the ski trip. I'd also like to share a highlight from before the ski trip. The night before we left we ate supper at a restaurant here in Prague. Jeff, the Impact team leader, knows the restaurant very well, and he got our menus for us from the little holder. I did not know how surprised and happy I would be to open the menu and read it in English! I didn't think the language barrier was really bothering me. But it brought me way too much happiness to be able to open the menu and read what all they were offering. We don't eat out very much, when when we do it's kinda frustrating to partly guess what all you are ordering. Culture shock.
The weather on the ski trip was absolutely gorgeous. When we returned to Praha, it followed us here, at least for Friday. I felt like a whole new person in a whole new city with the added warmth. It was up to about 10 degrees C, which is about 50 degrees F. Our usual temperature is 0 degrees C, 32 F. So you can imagine how much nicer it felt. This morning it started to get colder again. I'm hoping that was a fluke, and it warms up again. It's really nice to be in a warm Prague.
Tonight they will be holding what I think is the World Championship for hacky-sack here in Prague. As I was walking to the tram a man asked me where the Metro Station was. I took him there, and it turns out he was looking for an ATM to get out the registration fee to enter the hacky-sack tournament. For three years now, if I understood correctly, the World Champion has been a certain resident of Prague. It only costs 50 crowns to watch, and I think it's being held right by my house. So, I'm planning to go watch tonight. It may be something that God is doing, connecting with people. At the very least I can pick up some hacky-sack moves!
Well, that's a lot of the news from this end of the world. It's always good to hear from you all, even when I can't respond as fast as I'd like.
In His Time,
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