Hello again!

Well, it has been a while, hasn’t it? Sorry about that. Right now in my notebook I have fourteen blog post ideas, seven of which are “Photo Fridays”. And I want to, and will, blog my way through those, documenting God’s grace during the last couple of months.

So, what have I been up to?

After camp this summer we had our S-Team retreat where we talked about our ministries and dreamt and planned and prayed a lot. It was very exciting, and I really feel that God has made it clear how He is going before us.

I had a few working weeks and got to visit the Polish short-term team training, and finish up a lot of summer accounting, and other necessary tasks as we look to this new year.

I had a week of holiday/vacation. And I didn’t go a single place. Well, I went to Prague. For a day. A blog post coming about this soon.

And then last week I spent the whole week learning Czech, after a summer of not really learning much. I find myself praying that God would repeat Acts 2 v 4 again, with Czech, right here in my little green kitchen.

And now September has started! Yesterday and today were suitably rainy and foggy, weather that always makes me think of Northern Ireland. And this week marks the start of new things.

Tomorrow I hold my first English Club meeting. The goal with this is to connect students who want to learn English with our youth group and church. And I find myself simultaneously being nervous that no one will show up and being nervous that my flat will be too small.

Even saying it out loud (or writing it in this blog post) seems like a risk because tomorrow I might get to tell you that, yep, no one showed up. But this idea has been floating for a while, and prayed over a lot, and I’m excited about the potential it has.

One of my favourite things about camp was being able to say to students “Let’s spend time together in September!” And those prayers have been answered. Students want to hang out and I’m excited to spend time with a couple of them in the coming days.

Tomorrow at 8am I’ll also be dropping my car off at the mechanics. A combination of holidays, busyness at the mechanics, and different schedules mean that, yes, tomorrow I’m finally taking the car in to fix a problem that started on July 5th. And with that I’m praying for wisdom, an easy and complete fix, and God’s provision.

There is so much new to be thankful for: new ministry opportunities, new relationships, new seasons. And as I start my second year in this place, I am so grateful for deepening relationships, language, knowledge and familiarity. There are constants to be thankful for too: God’s provision and how He clearly goes before as well as alongside. 

I’m excited to continue to tell the stories that point to His gracious provision.

Photo Friday - 29th August

The other thing I did when I was in Prague was hunt out the fish and chip shop... There was a red telephone box in the middle of the restaurant, photos of the Beatles on the wall and Mr Bean playing on the TV. I was so thankful of this little bit of the UK in my holiday.

Storm's coming.

After my holiday week I spent an entire week where my focus was learning Czech. It was draining but so great to spend so much time learning Czech after a summer missing it. 

Coffee Heaven is a coffee chain with a lot of memories of sitting in Prague with friends. Sadly it's no longer in Czech, but it is still in Poland. So I was able to pick up some coffee beans and am enjoying the memories.

Thanks to my granny and aunts a couple of years ago I was able to buy this pot and I still can't believe I brought it over to Czech in a suitcase. But pots of colourful chilli remind me I'm so glad I did. 

This beautiful place is a 20-30 minute walk from my flat. I'm glad I live so close to greenness!

My little town has a little cinema with one screen that plans a random assortment of movies - sometimes they are current releases and other times it's a two year old movie. We went and saw the Disney movie Brave from 2012. It was fun to watch it in the Czech language!

Photo Friday - 22nd August

I live on the first floor (that means up one flight of stairs)... I've no idea how this little guy got into my kitchen but he did!

This Catholic church has four services on a Sunday, and twice a day during the week, so I often see people going in or out.

This little blue tent was set up on the town square by a local church - they were offering Bibles for sale and talking to people. 

Enjoying a great book on my windowseat. This week I was off work and mostly just stayed in Cesky Tesin and read, sewed, spent time with friends. It was a good week of rest. 

I did a lot of sewing - and finished this little quilt! I hoarded fabrics when I lived in Cardiff and close to beautiful fabric shops and I'm so glad I did as it's a good hobby for when I have free time here. 

A beautiful walk around a lake 25 minutes from my home. Czech doesn't have coastline, but it makes up for it (mostly) with lakes and mountains.

Having a week off is wonderful but when you travel for your job you don't necessarily want to go anywhere on holiday. The only exception for this in my week was going to Prague for a day (it's four hours by train) where I got to walk around and see my favourite places, go to a few shops to pick up things I haven't been able to find on my side of the country, and, most refreshingly, spend time with this beautiful lady. I am so thankful for Petra, and having a friend who knows what it is to live between the same cultures and countries I do. 

Photo Friday - 15th August

After a summer full of travel I put my suitcase away.. and I did a little happy dance.

This is what happens in my house most Sunday nights. I prepare food, and cut up vegetables, and then I can grab my lunch before leaving each morning. 

Can you make out the church between the buildings? This church, the Jesus Church, was the only Protestant church allowed to be built in the area in the 1700s so they built it big! Every time I see it, which is often, I pray that God would again bring revival to this area. 

This view is my favourite.

It might still be gloriously summer but already chestnuts were falling - they remind me of my childhood and my granda, and I loved having a bowlful of them on my table.

Board game night at the Yormans.

A festival, I don't know what for, on the town square. 

Photo Friday - 8th August

The back garden of a little tea shop in town.

I import cold and flu medication... and I'm very glad I do.

The curse of travelling so much: the number of receipts that build up to expense!

This little book was given to me by Paul Bowman, and it was a wonderful overview looking at the three main theories that religions can be divided up into - monotheism, dualism and trinitarianism. It talked about what they view as perfection, how the world became so far from that, and how they believe it will be saved.

That Scripture app gave me this verse for the week - very thankful for God's salvation and rest.

You never know what you're going to find in Lidl. 

Sunsets. 

The normal, unforced rhythms of grace

After a long summer season of ministry it is so good to be getting back into “normal” life. We have joked that I get a “normal week” about 30% of the year so “normal weeks” are good whenever they happen, but after weeks and months of packing and unpacking and repacking? Normal feels so good.

What does normal mean?

Normal means waking up at a normal time and spending time in the Bible and praying.

Normal means answering emails, having a Skype meeting and getting work done. Normal means spending time learning Czech after a summer of not learning much.

Normal on the first Wednesday of the month means noon is noisy.

Normal means buying food at Tesco and baking muffins for friends. Normal means hanging out with those friends, new missionaries who moved here recently.

It also means other things.

Normal means hearing my doorbell ring and answering it to find two Jehovah’s Witnesses on my doorstep – they’re really active in my town, and I often see them handing out leaflets at the train station.

Normal means walking down my street by the Buddhist centre and the homeless guys who often sit on the benches during the day and sleep on them at night.

A year ago few of these things seemed normal. I didn’t have the keys to my flat yet. I had been here just over a month. Some of these things should not be normal, and I ache and pray for "on earth as it is in heaven".

I am so thankful for God’s grace in big adventures, long roadtrips, weeks at camp, and visits to camps in others parts of Europe. But I’m also incredibly thankful for God’s grace in the details of life, and in the normal, mundane days here. I'm thankful for how His grace breaks through, and brings life, and changes things.

Matthew 11 v 28-30 in the New International Version reads

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

In the Message that same passage reads

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (emphasis mine)

I feel like I’m experiencing those unforced rhythms of grace in the everyday, mundane, normal of my life here in this little corner of the Czech Republic and am praying for this grace to continue to break in in this part of the world. I am so thankful for His incredible grace.

Photo Friday - 1st August

More summer walks, more beautiful colours.

More beautiful sunsets.

Our mission organisation had a vision to create a retreat house where missionaries could go to retreat, rest and hear from God. I am so thankful for the care of this organisation. And I was again at this retreat house - but not for rest, for my team's retreat. Each year we retreat and evaluate where our ministries are at and asking God where He wants them to be next year, two years from now and five years from now. 

It's a beautiful place and I'm so thankful for God's beautiful leading as we planned. 

It is wonderful to plan and dream but I came home needing to start a project that had a beginning, end and definable progress in the middle. Knitting is good!

This led to a blog post.

This road signs have been appearing places in my town over the summer... I'm not really sure what they mean.