Monday, 17 November 2014

Freedom


November is probably my favourite month of the year, and not just because it holds my birthday. The nights get dark early and there are more cups of tea. And it's also a month that remembers and celebrates freedom.

On November 9th 1989 the Berlin Wall fell.

On November 11th we remember the sacrifice of those who served (and serve) their countries in conflict and allow us to know freedom.

And today, November 17th, is a national holiday in the Czech Republic. On November 17th 1989 the Velvet Revolution began.

Twenty-five years ago students marched in Prague to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of students being killed by Nazis in 1939. And on that day they started something that led to the end of communism just ten days later.

It's called the Velvet Revolution because no one died. And four years later it was followed by the Velvet Divorce as Czech and Slovakia became two countries.

You can read more about the day here on the BBC. It's sobering reading. Just 30% of under 30s know why this day is a national holiday. And a sixth of the country long to return to communism.

But the fall of communism is what opened this country, and many in central and eastern Europe, for the Gospel. Churches can exist, you aren't imprisoned for your faith, and the Gospel can be proclaimed.

I am so thankful for freedom. For the freedom to live in safety in this country and share Christ. I'm praying that, just as this country has known freedom from communism, many in Czech would know true freedom in knowing Christ as their Saviour. 


Friday, 14 November 2014

Photo Friday - 14th November



Saturday involved a birthday tradition of going to water. In NI and Wales this involved the ocean. And then God called me to a landlocked country... where thankfully there are lakes. The misty, grey, rainy day was perfect.


On Sunday I turned 26! And celebrated with friends and food. If you scroll down you'll see a full post on it.


Mondays start with a blank sheet and lots of coloured pens for long to do lists.


Fewer and fewer leaves on the trees.


I spent a lot of Wednesday like this, writing two talks for the girls' retreat this weekend - one on Rahab and one on Ruth.


Between talk prep and another couple of projects I was working on last week I felt like I spent a lot of time writing, editing and reading papers with a pen in hand this week.



On Friday night our youth group's girls' retreat began!

Thursday, 13 November 2014

How to turn 26

Sunday 9th November was my birthday! And I turned 26.

My morning started with waking up late and rushing to church (this is a fairly routine situation). Church goes from 9am to around 11am. One of the passages of Scripture we looked at was Ephesians 2 v 10 - that "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

It was a great reminder to have on my birthday! That God has prepared good works for me, and I am asked to be faithful to walk in them, knowing He has perfectly prepared me for them.

Then came opening some presents! The post here is sometimes "flexible" so I haven't received everything yet. The one that made me laugh out loud was from Rachel, who posted it early as she is on a mission trip currently, and there was a warning or two about when to open it. Here is proof lovely lady!



Some after church baking. 



Full confession: I really wanted to go for a run. I got into my running gear and decided to take a twenty minute nap before my run. Yep, my twenty minute nap turned into a ninety minute one and no run.

But running gear became baking gear. 



During the day I was able to skype with my family a couple of times which was really fun! And I'm so thankful for the many, many birthday wishes I received on Facebook or via email.

I went to the Yormans for dinner where we had "Irish food". Fun fact: I introduced the Yormans to shepherd's pie over a year ago, back when I had an oven that didn't work. So it wasn't shepherd's pie but "deconstructed shepherd's pie". This has now become a regular meal and tradition, complete with green onions boiled in milk through the mashed potato. So so good.



And dessert included pizcookie (I'm unsure of the spelling) - basically you pull a cookie out of the oven and put ice cream on top. So good. 



And friends gathered at the Yormans for dessert. Unfortunately a couple of friends couldn't be there because their car was broken into! But here are some pictures of our time. 
















One of the things we do in Josiah Venture from time to time is give someone the "gift of words". We take time to say what we appreciate or admire about another person. The Yormans gave time for this on Sunday night. 

At one point Casey commented that it was fun to watch me squirm as people said nice things about me. My response was that it's probably the least British thing that has ever happened. 

But words are definitely my love language so it meant so much to me to have so many lovely people in one room and to say things. I am so incredibly thankful for the people who I get to do life with here and serve alongside. 



This is what Benaiah wanted to give me for my birthday... Well, this is what I unwrapped from Benaiah. Three of the toothbrushes were for other people in the room...



... I got the blue one!



The night ended the way so many nights at the Yormans do - Casey, Kristin and I sitting around some food and tea and chatting. 

It was an excellent birthday, my second in this beautiful country, and I'm so thankful for another year of God's grace. I'm excited about what this next year will hold and to walk in the good works God has prepared for me.

Friday, 7 November 2014

Late night bowls of cereal



Bowls filled with cocoa pops. A couple of biscuits. Strawberry milkshake that was pale pink towards the end of the bottle or almost fuchsia if someone wasn't paying attention. The constantly consumed toast of student days.

When I was little we would have supper just before bed. It's a habit I fell out of but sometimes I find myself too hungry to go to sleep. My go-to snack now is cereal and, yes, I definitely have chocolate cereal even in the week I turn 26. 

It's weird what things transport you to your childhood. Late night snacks definitely cause memories to flood back.

My mum usually taught a couple of nights a week and I remember that my dad often kept a variety bag from Swizzels Matlow hidden somewhere. 

Lollies, parma violets, fizzers, boiled sweets. I definitely had preferences among the selection. 

My sister and I would spread the choices out all over the floor in our front room and carefully select our one or two for that night. As the weeks went on there were fewer fizzers and a higher proportion of cola flavoured, sherbet filled sweets. 

Just a simple little memory from my childhood, as I sit and eat a bowl of cereal before heading to bed. 

Did you have a pre-bedtime snack as a child?

Photo Friday - 7th November




Saturday morning involved heading to work where we received training on how to evaluate. The psychology graduate in me totally geeks out a little with this stuff. 



Sundays mean FaceTime with my family. And the dog! 



5.53am. Monday morning. 



I'm over a month in to my read-through-the-New-Testament-in-30-days. Thankful for the grace that meets me in this place.



English club! 



Just after my Czech lesson! Thankful for coffee syrup that adds a little spark to lessons.



The tree outside my bedroom has turned yellow!

Wednesday, 5 November 2014

My least favourite road rule

Photo from BBC

Driving in Czech was one of the things I was more scared of when I moved. The change to driving on the other side of the road was the thing that was most on my mind. I’ve now owned a car here for almost fourteen months and I’ve yet to drive on the wrong side of the road.

Of course, remembering what side of the road to drive on is not the hardest part of changing sides of the road. Sixteen months of living here and I still instinctively almost always at first go towards the wrong side of the car. I’ve found the issue with changing side of the road is actually in changing sides of the car – the car has always been on my left as I drive and now it’s on the right.

The other change has been the scale of the driving. In Northern Ireland I could drive to Belfast in thirty minutes, and most of my journeys were simply up to Saintfield, a journey of five minutes. And I drove on the motorway just a couple of times a year.

Here, if I am leaving my town it is usually to go to the office or Ostrava and both places are forty minutes or so from my home. And both involve driving along the same stretch of motorway where the speed limit is 130 kmph or 80 mph.

Before moving here I didn’t really think about needing to learn different road rules. But this has probably been the most stressful part of driving here, because learning new rules make you feel very unsure of yourself.

And quite quickly I figured out my least favourite road rule. Thankfully it’s not a rule I have to deal with every time I drive but it’s still my least favourite.

Generally this rule only comes into force after 6pm and only in certain places.

At 6pm some traffic lights change to being just flashing amber lights. It doesn’t mean get ready for a red light, or prepare to go when the green light appears. It means obey the road sign on the traffic light.

Photo source - it's actually a road I drive on all the time!

Each traffic light that changes to a flashing amber light also has a road sign. When the traffic lights are working you ignore the road sign and when the traffic light just flashes amber you obey the road sign. The sign might be a stop sign, a give way sign, or a yellow and white diamond that indicates you have the priority.

I think the reason I dislike this rule so much is the couple of junctions in my town – the ones I often find myself navigating after 6pm – are complicated or staggered junctions. And I sometimes don’t understand how a junction can warrant a light at 5.59pm but not at 6.01pm.

I have no doubt that a lot of people have prayed for my driving in my sixteen months here, and, when it comes to rules like this, I’m very grateful for those prayers!

Monday, 3 November 2014

What your home says about culture: the front door


Have you ever thought about how your home reflects culture? 

The above photo shows my porch/front doorway area. 

The front door of my flat is just outside the photo on the right. The door you see is for the toilet, and I'm taking the photo from the bathroom (well, sink, shower and washing machine room). Just outside the left of the photo is the doorway to the kitchen. 

Now you're situated, can you spot what's cultural about this photo?


Here are some closeups to help you out. (And, yes, I really need to put my birkenstock sandals and other summer shoes away!)


My (fixed!) front door (And I will soon have some actual winter coats hanging here).

Any guesses?

Well, the first thing you do when you arrive in a Czech home is take off your shoes because shoes are not worn inside homes. So all (in season) shoes live in the hallway and you only put them on when you are on your way out the door.

This rule applies whether it's your home or you're a guest in the home. 

And in my home I have my own slippers that I happily wear around my flat. But what about guests? That's why there's a little box filled with various pairs of slippers in different sizes. 

Sometimes when I am about to head out the door I realise I've forgotten something I need. If I have my shoes on I battle taking them off or not. If I'm running late normally they don't get taken off - but I then feel horribly guilty, and tip-toe across my kitchen floor to get whatever I need.

When I first started coming to the Czech Republic we were told about this rule and it seemed rather strange. But now? Now I feel rude when I'm in someone's home in the UK or US and have my shoes on. And taking my shoes off as I enter someone's home has become automatic.

It makes a lot of sense too - it keeps dirt off hard floors and out of carpets. And anything that helps reduce the amount of cleaning that has to be done sounds like a wonderful idea!

I love this little rule in Czech, and, if one day I find myself living somewhere else, I imagine it's a rule I'll carry with me to future homes.