Šluskolona

There are a lot of wonderful things about living in Czech, and we just experienced another one of them this week-end.

In nearly every city across the country, dance lessons are offered to high school students, particularly in the second year of high school. It's something that is sponsored by the city, so there are students from various high schools who gather together on Friday nights to learn how to dance.

I love driving in Frydlant on Fridays around 5 PM! Kids are walking from all corners of town towards the cultural center, dressed in suits and ties and pretty dresses. You can't show up for the lessons in jeans and a t-shirt!

While they're mainly there to learn to fox trot, cha cha and tango, among other dances, they're also being instructed in proper cultural etiquette. I think that's so cool!

Caleb and his friend from youth group, Kača, were dance partners for this fall's classes. Every Friday night Caleb got his suit on and headed into town with everyone else for the week's lesson.

An hour and forty five minutes later, he'd be ready to come home, with another dance learned! Honestly, I don't think I could learn those dances that fast!

Twelve weeks later, with ten dances ready to be performed, the "Šluskolona" begins! Parents and friends come to the cultural house and are seated at tables around the dance floor. In walk the dancers, dressed in gorgeous ball gowns and handsome suits and ties, ready to show off what they've learned.

It was a two and a half hour program, interspersed with their dances, a professional dance couple's performance, and traditional gift giving where guys give the girls flowers and a gift, and girls give the guys a handkerchief and a gift. A nice tradition!

We had a great time watching Caleb, and all the other kids that we knew there. And were very impressed by what they all had learned in twelve weeks!

A Season of Teaching

This fall has been full of opportunities to teach God's Word for both Dave and I.

We both taught at our JV fall conference, shortly after I'd come back from teaching in Romania.

Dave spoke for the Campus Crusade Conference in Australia for a week in September.

He taught at the Baptist youth conference in Sumperk the last week-end in October.

During that week-end he also taught at another youth conference for one day.

This past week-end he spoke on Angels and Demons for a conference Friday and part of Saturday, then headed to a church and taught Saturday evening and Sunday morning on spiritual warfare.

While he was teaching Friday night, I was also teaching! I had a very sweet evening with a group of girls in Havirov, (where we used to live) speaking on what it means to know Jesus in everyday life.

It's a joy to open God's Word, study it and then get to teach it!

To Chicago and Back

Such good gifts from the Lord these past 12 days!

** Visiting Tyler at Moody, meeting his friends, seeing his room, being in his world - delightful!

** Having my mom and dad come for a week, morning breakfasts together, daily Starbucks, shopping trips, downtown Chicago to see Tyler and the city, lots of good talks - wonderful!

** Grace Church of DuPage's 25th anniversary, seeing many friends, a special evening with all the missionary women and Grace Church ladies, singing in the choir, an evening of celebrating all that has happened in and through the church - memorable!

** Lunches, dinners, coffee and tea with good friends - thankful!

** Did I mention daily Starbucks??!! HA! Thanks to my dad, I got my fill of pumpkin spice lattes every day! You're the best, Dad!!

Our days were filled to the brim while we were there. Most days we left the house after breakfast and didn't return until late in the evening. But I wouldn't have it any other way!

We feel full, nourished, blessed, and loved. Thank you to all who made our time in Chicago special and memorable!!

Clelebrating Claire!

Feels like only a few years ago I was in a hospital in Schwetzingen, Germany, with my new little baby girl.

And now, she's already fifteen. How does that happen??!

She had a sweet birthday celebration today - more low key than other years, but still sweet.

Tyler called at 6:30 this morning to be the first to wish her happy birthday!

Her class at school surprised her with a cake and gift.

My friend Ingrid lavished her with two bags of all her favorite teas and chocolates.

She and her friend, Hayley, got in an afternoon birthday photo shoot.

We took her to Frydek to buy a special gift.

Ate a special dinner that she'd requested.

I made a gluten free German chocolate birthday cake that was yummy!

And now...we're packing to leave for the States in the morning!! Yes, it's a little crazy around here tonight trying to get all the last minute things done.

But in the midst of it all, we're remembering that the Lord brought us a very special girl fifteen years ago! She is our sunshine, our princess, our blossoming young woman.

We love you Claire!!!

Running a Half Marathon

The last race I ran was in 4th grade. It was a 50 yard dash...I didn't win.

Athletics have not been a major part of my life...okay, not even a minor one! In high school I did music, drama, and student government. College years were even more about music, with little to no athletic activity.

In the years following that I attempted to jog now and then, but had no real motivation to do it, not to mention any self perception of being athletic.

But a year ago, when we switched our diet to deal with Caleb's ongoing stomach problems, I took some time to evaluate where I was at personally in my body.

In more recent years I had tried weight training in an attempt to stave off middle age weight gain, but had not stuck to it and gained back what I'd lost. However, since we were going to a much more simplified and healthier diet, I decided to seriously give weight training another try and see if I could make a lifestyle change.

This was all with much prayer and conversation with Dave. As I began to weight train, there were other issues inside me that began to come out...such as my incorrect self perception of not being a person who could be athletic or in shape. We spent many evenings praying through these things and asking the Lord to change and heal those incorrect perceptions.

As the months went by, I added in running to the weight training and was surprised to find out out I really liked it! This, along with the changes that were happening inside me, is what led me to consider training for the half marathon.

In May I did some searching on the internet for half marathons that were within reach and found one in Kosice, Slovakia - about a five hour drive from us. I calculated the training for it and felt like I could do it in the coming four months so...registered and began training!

You have to know...the farthest up to this point that I'd ever run was 2 kilometers at a time! In the weight training, I was only running for short 5 minute bursts in between sets. You wonder how I knew I liked running, right??! I know...it's kind of crazy. And even crazier that I thought I could train for a half marathon with practically no running before this.

But I felt like it was part of what the Lord wanted to do to solidify the changes that He'd made in me...for me to do something that was so far beyond me, and yet within reach because HE was leading me to it.

So off I went, following a half marathon training schedule. And let me tell you...it was brutal at the beginning. There were SO many days I thought to myself, "What in the heck am I thinking???"

But with the Lord's help, and Dave cheering me on, I persisted with my training throughout the summer. Dave has been a runner for years (ran a marathon with his brother when he was in college) so was a major help and inspiration to me along the way. He also said he'd train and run the half marathon with me - a really sweet offer considering that he could have run it much faster than me!

The longest run I did during my training was 17 kilometers...not as far as the half marathon which is 21 kilometers (or 13 miles). But I was consistent in training, for the most part, and just kept putting in the kilometers, day after day after day.

Two weeks ago Dave left for Australia where he was speaking for a conference. So my last two weeks were completely on my own. You can't imagine how many times I didn't want to run!

But running, I've found, is often more about your mental ability rather than your physical ability. So with the Lord's help, I fixed my mind on the goal of finishing and persevered on.

Saturday the 3rd of October came. The kids and I piled into the car, along with our little dog, Lily, and headed off to Kosice. We met up with our dear friends, Mel and Amy Ellenwood, because they too had trained to run the half marathon with us. It was so fun to share that with them, even running while we were on vacation in Croatia with each other!

Arriving in Kosice that afternoon, we headed to registration where we picked up our running packets, including bibs with our names and numbers, and the chip that goes on your shoe to calculate your time. As we were doing that, and then out and about seeing all the other runners, I felt like I was going to cry much of the time!! It was a super emotional experience as I was about to culminate my year of a lifestyle change.

That night at 10 PM, Caleb and I went to the Kosice airport where we picked up Dave...remember, he'd been in Australia and was just now arriving back in Europe in time to run this race with me!!! That is sheer will, determination and love after 42 hours en route!!

Waking up the next morning was a surreal experience. In fact, the whole day was! Several people had encouraged me to really soak in the whole experience, remembering what had brought me here, and relishing in the moment of being there. I did both those things from the moment I woke up until the end of the day.

One of the best moments was starting the race. Remember...the last time I'd raced was when I was 9 years old!! And let me tell you...this was NOTHING like that! It was a powerful, exhilarating, awesome moment. One of the greatest thrills of my life, I'd have to say!

The people of Kosice came out in droves for this race, and were literally lined up on the road, every kilometer of the way. I don't know what I would've done sometimes without their clapping and cheering...it motivated me and kept me going many times.

Caleb, Claire and the Ellenwood kids were in the crowds too - racing from point to point in hopes of seeing us and taking photos. They were an AWESOME encouragement!! Again...I don't know what I would've done without that!

Of course Dave was so deeply encouraging to me along the way...especially at times when I didn't think I could keep going. He gently (and sometimes not so gently!) pushed and prodded, particularly towards the end when I was getting so tired.

The last kilometer was the killer - I really thought I was going to collapse in a heap! However, the crowds of people cheering that last kilometer helped push me through...NO WAY was I going to stop running in front of them!

Of course, the most glorious moment was crossing the finish line!! Exhilaration doesn't even begin to describe the feeling of having accomplished this seemingly insurmountable goal. I collapsed into Dave's arms, crying...no, sobbing...as I soaked in what I'd just finished.

Never before in my life had I ever had such a powerful, first-hand experience of Hebrews 12, verses one and two:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..."

I tell you...surrounded by all those witnesses cheering for us, giving every last bit of what I had in me to run to the end, and fixing my eyes on the finish line was I believe a taste of what it will feel like someday when I run to the finish line at the end of my life. At least that's how I WANT it to be!! I don't want to walk, much less limp, to the finish line. I want to RUN!! Just like I did to this finish line!

There was something so satisfying at having cast all caution aside and run with complete abandonment at the end. I don't think I've ever felt more proud of myself, except for maybe when I gave birth to our kids! :) That's the only thing I can compare this experience with, though honestly, I think this half marathon was even harder for me than that!

I am not an athlete in the classic sense...that I've been running or training all my life. But I AM an athlete in the sense that God has given me a fabulous body to use for HIS GLORY!! And that's really what this was all about. Doing something that displayed his glory in me.

So while I celebrate what I did...I celebrate even more, what He has done in me. I am definitely a work in progress. This isn't the end!

But it sure was an awesome moment at the finish line in Kosice!!!

Celebrating Dave's Birthday!

In the midst of JV fall conference, Dave had a birthday! His 48th, to be exact!

We wished him a happy birthday that morning at home, and all of JV sang happy birthday and gave him flowers and a gift on his day.

But it wasn't until yesterday that we had our family celebration of him.

It wasn't a big celebration...we'll save that for the 50th! :)

But we did take a few pictures (strange to not have Tyler in them...) and go out for our favorite fast food Asian meal at the mall!

We love you SO much Dave, and are deeply blessed by who you are and how you live your life!

May this coming year be filled with more knowledge, wisdom and love from the Lord. And may you know our love for you even deeper as well!

Passing the Baton

Every JV conference is special! There is nothing like being together with like-hearted friends and co-workers!

But this year's conference was especially meaningful and applicable for me as I love the concept and practice of discipleship.

Discipleship is a highly valued part of our ministry here in Central and Eastern Europe. Once someone comes to know Christ, it's our joy, privilege and responsibility to disciple, teach, mentor and coach them in their new faith.

While we live out and talk about discipleship often, it's such a critical component of ministry here that we spent this year's JV fall conference teaching, talking, discussing and putting into practice what it means to be an excellent, faithful and faith-filled discipler who passes on the baton of faith to the next generation.

The conference was full of helpful sessions, seminars and practical help on discipleship. All of those were taught "internally", meaning it was our team members from 11 countries (both Americans and nationals) who were sharing their knowledge and wisdom in this area...and that was powerful! These are people who are "on the ground" doing it day after day. I loved hearing from them!

During one morning session, the speaker, Daniel from Poland, had Claire come and share about the discipleship Bible study she had last year. She was so poised and relaxed as she shared her experience in front of 160 people. We were proud of her!

We'll all be chewing on the things we learned, and hopefully putting them into practice in the months to come.