i spoke in church on sunday

you may not think that speaking in church is a big deal, especially for me, since i talk all the time, but it is a big deal when it is in czech!

last monday, during my prayer and fasting day concerning my future (see previous post), one of the things i felt like God was calling me to was getting more involved in my local church.

every week at church the mic is open for the congregation to share whatever God is doing in their lives...often times they turn into preachamonies*.

well, this past sunday, as i sat in the pew worshipping, i felt compelled to share my decision to stay with the church...the only problem is that i also felt compelled to share it in czech.

[let's take a brief moment to talk about the czech language barriar. i can hear many of you saying to yourselves, "Come on, Nate, you've lived in Czech for almost two years, you should totally be fluent by now." well, czech is freakin' hard, so back off!! seriously, czech is hard. people who have lived here for twelve-years are still studying! yeah, its that hard.]

so anyways, i was super nervous to share in czech, but i knew i had to.

the worship band is made up of some students from the youth ministry and is lead by a friend of mine, so all of them know me...they also know my czech skill. so, when i stood up and began walking up to the pulpit, i could read the looks on their faces:

"oh, my gosh! what is he thinking?"
"he isn't going to ask me to translate is he?"
"is nate getting up to use the bathroom?"

when i got to the podium and began speaking the looks of the people in the congregation were classic. they looked like they were watching the children's program on Easter. They had that leaned forward/what cute thing is he going to say/awwwww, isn't he cute look on their faces.

i then stummbled through a testimony (i'm sure it wasn't long enough to be a preachamoney) in my broken czech. making statements that probably sounded like this:

"i live here two years"
"God lead me here"
"i decide stay"
"hard it is because the family and lots friends live there"

i finished.

they clapped. i'm pretty sure it was because i spoke in czech, not because i'm staying.

so, that was it. i spoke in church on sunday.

*def: a testimony which is longer (sometimes much longer) than it should be. it often includes a passage of scripture, a three-point outline, and multiple illustrations. it never extends long enough to ever be called a sermon.

the atlantic was born today and i'll tell you how

for nearly two years i've lived in the czech. my official two-year term is nearing an end.

inevitably, i am asked the question by family and friends (on both sides of water), "so, are you staying here [coming back]"?

i've put the answer off for a long time.

partly to pray about it, but mostly because i was scared.

scared to commit [go back].
scared to hurt my family [disappoint people here].
scared of drudging through the cultural challenges [readjusting back to us culture].
scared of the ???????????.

but, finally, i've made my decision.

__________

it started in autumn. things had been tough. there were cultural struggles, ministry challenges, the language barrier, loneliness, etc. i was praying one morning about what GOD wanted me to do and the SPIRIT clearly spoke,


"I don't want you to leave czech until I call you somewhere else."


i didn't like that answer. life was hard. it would be easier/better/more fun/insert good feeling here ________ if i went back to the states. i begrudgingly accepted this from GOD, but hoped HE would change HIS mind.

ff >>

it was a sunny january day in az and bobby b and i were kicking it for our regular half-day comic book run/fashion square/good food/hang out and somewhere between spider-man and baseball the conversation turned to ministry. bobby was sharing some thoughts on some recent changes he'd made in ministry location and said, "one thing that has always stuck out to me was something Oswald Chambers wrote. he said,


'never leave the place GOD called you last until HE calls you to somewhere else.'"

GOD didn't change HIS mind. this was confirmation.

i still waited to make my decision though.

ff>>

monday.

czechs celebrate easter monday. it is really a bizarre celebration with some interesting traditions. but, regardless, it is a day off.

i spent my day with the LORD.

i decided that monday was my decision day. i took the day, went to a lake (which was really a resevoir for drinking water with no way to get down to the lake to enjoy nature--i was not happy) spent an hour there, then went and hung out in a cafe for four hours.

i read.

i prayed.

i asked GOD for guidance/direction/what HE wanted from me for the next five years.

HE answered.

it was powerful.

i expected HIM to show me some great vision for the future--some beautifully laid out ministry plan.

what i got was a load of specific verses of !who! GOD was calling me to !be!

maybe some day i'll share those, but i've delayed telling my decision for

l
o
n
g

e
n
o
u
g
h

GOD is calling me to stay.

even as i write this i think of the countless friends and family back in the states that i miss and the sound of disappointment that i've heard in my family's voices this week as i've told them of my decision.

it grieves my heart.

but,

i know that GOD is in this.

i know that HE is providing new friends and family for me here. never to replace those in the states, but to fill up what i am missing.

i know that HE is preparing works for me to do that are specificly tailored to my giftedness and passion.

i know that HE is changing me in ways that I could never be changed back in the states.

i know that HE is calling me to this.

i can step into that with confidence.

Spiritual Spanking

I received a spanking today. No paddle was used. I didn't have to pull my pants down. I am sitting down as I write and there is no discomfort. But, nevertheless, I received a spanking. That spanking came from the Holy Spirit. I'm pretty sure the HS doesn't look like the woman in the pic, but, well, I liked the pic. That is how I have felt the last couple of days.

I'm sitting on a nice leather couch in a hotel in the mountains near the Czech/Slovak/Polish border. It's a hotel that our organization owns and runs. Over the past week Americans and National leaders that make up JV have gathered here for our Fall Training Conference. What none of us realized before we came here is that the spiritual climate would be so rich. I don't know if I have ever entered into an atmosphere that has been so condusive to growth. I'm not the only one who has said it. The Polish Country leader said that this is the best conference he's ever been to and he has been on the field for over 10 years. Dann Spader, a well-known student ministry trainer and a JV Board member, said that he has a great sense that this conference would be a turning point for our organization. I've talked to many others who agree: the soil is rich here.

The spirit of this conference and the things that are being taught have been impacting my heart profoundly over the past couple days. It has been opening up chambers in my heart and propelling me to investigate deep areas of spiritual blindness in my life. I wish I could write everything that God is showing me. I feel like issue after issue is surfacing. I feel like issues that I have refused to turn over to God are being exposed and that I am finally ready to turn them over to Him. Since I can't write everything, I'll share and illustration that was shared with me tonight by a good friend...

We are like sailboats. And we are sailing along on this huge lake and when we go out onto the mission field its as if the lake is partially drained and all of these rocks appear. As we sail we begin running into all of these rocks. The rocks hurt and cause damage and we wonder, "Where did these come from? They weren't there before." But they were...they were there all along. They were just covered by water. That water is comfort. As a missionary, it is the comfort of America. It's the comfort of a good movie, the comfort of Oregano's, the comfort of friends and family. But when we step out of that comfort and it is drained away, we begin to experience inadequacy, incompetance, loneliness, a new culture, a foreign language, etc. and the rocks appear.

God doesn't just do this for missionaries, but I think it is just more certain that we will experience it because of our situation. God does it for people in America, but it is usally through tragedy or a drastic change in life. He drains our lake and reveals to us the rocks that have been hiding under the surface.

Yesterday my ship hit a rock. It was pretty small. Tonight I shipwrecked. I can barely think through everything that God showed me. But I know that I am at a critical point in my walk and that as I began to walk with the Spirit in these things God is going to begin to fill my lake back up. He is going to begin to fill those areas in my life and I will be able to sail in freedom knowing that those rocks are covered by Him and His grace.

Apartment, Part Three: "Finished" Living Room

We still have some plants to buy and some pictures to put up, but our living room is pretty much done! It is nice to finally have a place to relax and "unwind". The bedroom is pretty much finished, but we still have a couple things to touch up.

Here are some new pics.




My Friends Helping Out


Mr. Biceps


The Finished Living Room!

Part Two: Bedroom

We've started on painting the bedroom and it is looking awesome!!

We still have another coat of paint to do, some work on the ceiling and some detail work, but it is looking good. Here is the progress.

Room: post-primer, pre-paint


Room: Post-first coat (sorry that it is vertical...I tried to fix it forever...)


Working Hard Again!

Apartment Remodel: Part One

We are working to make our new apartment our own, so I am going to start a series keeping you updated on how everything is coming. I wanted to do a live webcam, but we don't have internet yet and I don't have a "cam". So this is the best I can do. It is not really live and not really a cam, but it is on the web and you will get to see progress.

Here are the first few pics of us scraping old paint from our living room walls and ceiling!


Room with old paint.


Hard(ly) at work.


The Final Scrape.


Room post-scrapping.

The Bartending Missionary

I have a friend who is a missionary. He is what is called a tent-maker. He and his wife moved to the Czech without raising support and are helping start an international church in Prague. In order to pay for their expenses they are working regular jobs. The work that they are doing is running a pub! That is right, running a pub. They own and operate this cool little pub in the basement of a hostel that is owned by a Christian couple. Is this a paradox? Christians and pubs? Beer and Evangelism? It can't be! Please tell me this isn't true! Well for those of us who love beer, this is a dream come true.

Chris and I met in Colorado at missionary training. As we talked and found out that we both were working in the Czech, one of the first questions I asked was, "So, do you like beer?" He replied, "For sure." To which I replied, "I don't think that you can be a missionary in the Czech without liking beer!" SIDE NOTE: Marisa was also a part of this conversation and she later told me that this comment that I made was one of the first things she liked about me! In a culture like the Czech, beer is a way of life. EVERYONE drinks beer. They drink more beer per capita then any other country in the world. They love beer. Not only that, but it is usually the cheapest drink on the menu. For a half liter of beer you typically pay about one dollar!! That would cost $4-5 in the States!! Many times Czechs think we are crazy for ordering soda since it is usually much more expensive than beer.

This week I got to hang out with Chris and Laura in Prague. On Friday night he had to work. I said I'd come along. He had a lot of office work to do and asked if I wanted to pour beers for him. I said yes. So, from 8-1 AM I poured beers and talked with people from all over the world. It was really an amazing experience. I talked to people from Australia, Germany, Britain, Belgium, Czech and the States. The kid from Belgium and I talked for about two-hours. We talked about travel, life, and love. It was really interesting to talk with him about what was driving him in life and what he cares about. Chris gets to do this four to five nights a week. He said that he has had some wonderful conversations with people.

On Sunday mornings the pastor of the church hosts a simple bible study in the Chapel at the hostel (oh, I forgot to mention that the chapel is a room that is located in the pub!!). Usually they only get a few people to stop by, but imagine the people that they are reaching.

This may sound like cutting edge ministry, but it is ministry that Jesus would do. This is vintage Christianity. Jesus went to where the sinners were and conversed with them on their ground. He resided with those who others wouldn't and couldn't reach. That is what Chris is doing. He is on the front-lines of ministry, meeting people where they are at.

Border Crossing

Since I don't have a visa yet to live here I have to leave the country every three months in order to be considered a visitor. I will start the visa process in September, but my first three months came up the other day, so I had to cross the border. Now, this isn't a big deal considering in live in Česky Těšín, which is the Czech side of a border town on the Czech-Polish border, but getting to the border wasn't my problem...

Mel drove me to the border and told me to just walk across through one building, cross the street, and then come back on the other side and that will be enough. I was a little nervous, because I don't know what they are going to think when they see me walk across the border and then come right back. I'm thinking that this could hurt my visa chances if I get caught. So I go through the building and the guy asks me where I'm going (I've told this story to multiple people who live in Česky Těšín and they say they have never been asked this question). So I tell him I'm just going into town. He says, "Today is a holiday and the stores are closed." I now start to get a little flustered, because I'm not prepared to answer questions. I stutter and say, "OK," he stamps my passport and then lets me through. Then the Polish guy looks at my passport, flips through it, stamps it and lets me go through. I proceed to the nearest door, because I want to get out of there as quick as possible, and the guys both yell out and point to a back door...more attention being drawn to me.

I should also note that I am wearing a brown sweatshirt that says OREGON on it, with a brown trucker hat cocked to the side, and brown Vans...my sweatshirt might as well have said FOREIGNER on it...

So I head out the back door walk down the side walk, cross the street and then hang another left and start heading toward the border again. I have no idea if the guys can see me in the other building but I felt like a flashing neon sign was attached to me (or maybe one of those neon cowboys with the moving arm pointing at me).

So I approach the other border guards (they are outside checking motorists) and hand him my passport hoping for a quick escape...no such luck. He looks at me and asks where I'm coming from (again I'm not expecting a question, especially that one, because I figured, hey, I'm walking from Poland, he should be able to figure out where I'm coming from). So, I stumble though the fact that I was in Czech, but then I came over to Poland and now I am going back. He tells me to speak slower. I tell him again. He looks at me oddly and says, "So you were in Poland for one minute?" Apparently the flashing neon cowboy pointed me out on my way over the first time. I say, "Yes." He says, "Hold on," and takes my passport to some building.

By now I'm a little freaked. I'm wondering if he's going to let me back in the Czech and even if he does if he is going to direct me to the bus station to send my butt back to the states...as I'm pondering how I'm going to tell my supporters that all of their money is being divided between the other missionaries in the Czech and wondering if Mountain Valley Church still looking for a youth pastor, a police car pulls up. Now my mind really starts going. I start thinking of the benefits of living back in the states and how God is sovereign and how He must want me back there. The cops pass without a word and the border guard comes out. He then asks me where in the Czech I am living. I technically can't be living anywhere, because I don't have a Visa, so I tell him I'm staying in this town. He then hands me my passport and sends me on my way.

I have no idea what all the hassle was about. I don't know if I'm now footnoted in the Passport computer as the "Sketchy American Border Crosser", but I am really hoping that this doesn't affect my visa application. Lucka, my friend who will be helping with the visa process, says it'll be no big deal, but we'll see. I also leave the country on Wednesday for vacation, so it'll be interesting to see if my vacation is a permanent one back to the states...

Moje Čeština je kostrabata...

"My Czech is bumpy..."

This is a phase that I learned from a Czech friend of mine four years ago when I was here. I only know it because he was trying to tell me that his English was bumpy. It has proved to be a useful phrase to know.

I know hardly any Czech. I can ask for a couple of things and I can understand the gist of some conversations, but I am barely scraping by this summer. Let me give you an example of what a Czech hears when they talk to me.


This is what I imagine a conversation with me is like. It is translated into English because I don't know Czech and you probably don't either.

Hotel Receptionist: "Hotel Babi Vrch. How can I help you?"

Nate: "Good day."

HR: "Good day. How can I help you?"

Nate: "Uh, five...evening...uh...uh...evening...18:30..."

HR: "Do you have a reservation?"

Nate (hearing word that sounds like reservation): "Yes, reservation."

HR: "Do you have one or do you need one."

Nate (hearing the word one): "No...one...uh...five...uh...five...evening...18:30..."

HR: "So you'll be here tonight at 18:30 and you need a reservation..."

Nate: "Yes...18:30...evening...reservation...Nathan Hughes...uh..."

HR: "What?"

Nate: "What?"

HR: "Do you need a reservation or do you have one?"

Nate: "uh...no...no understand..."

HR: "Do you need a reservation or do you have one?"

Nate (really confused now): "No understand...uh...goodbye..." (Nate hangs up)

Team (now in English): "So did you make sure that we have the reservation?"

Nate: "Sure did!"


This is typical of my summer. So far we've always had a place to stay and only Ashley and I have gotten on the wrong train once and we still managed to make it to where we going on time...

On the flip side, I was able to form a successful sentence today. I asked a woman at Tesco (similar to Wal-Mart), "Where is the Milka without sugar?" She responded, "Coffee without sugar?" I said, "No, chocolate." She understood and took me there.

It was a small victory, but I was very excited...

Ammendment to Bizarre Cultural Differences: Part 1

I got a receipt from a food stand at a pool the other day that had three pictures on the back featuring topless women!!

Bizarre Cultural Differences: Part 1

As I begin to live (and learn) in this new culture there are many things that are different. I bring you the first in a multi (I'm not sure how many)-part series on the cultural differences I've ran into here in the Czech Republic.


CIRCUMSTANCE ONE:

The Setting: I am sitting at a table in a resturant with one girl from my team, two Austrailians, and one Czech (Christian-this is important to give it context) girl.

The Story: As we are pouring over the menu I see a word that I am unfamiliar with (obviously there wasn't only one, but this one word caught my attention). The word was prsa, as in kuřeci prsa. I know that kuřeci is chicken, but I have no idea what prsa is. So I turn to my Czech friend and ask her what prsa is. She pauses, thinks for a moment and then puts her hand over her heart. I look down and say, "Heart", she then grabs her female anatomy and moves it about...my eyes grow wide and I say, "Oh, breast!" with a slight chuckle. It took everything in me to stiffle the laughter that wanted to explode out of me. But for the girl's sake I took it all in stride.

CIRCUMSTANCE TWO:

The Setting: A resturant with my team in the town of Litomeřice.

The Story: While looking over the menu at a pizzeria I came accross an interesting section. The picture that indicated what the section was showed the profile of a baby and some other object. The picture was obviously kiped off the internet, because it was of very poor quality. While I stared at the picture to figure out what the other item was I realized that it was a breast. I never bothered translating the section name, but I could only guess that it was the child's menu...

CONCLUSION AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCE:

Czechs (and most Europeans I'd imagine) have a much different view on sexuality than we do in the States. It isn't confined to the secular world either, as a Christian girl has no problem using her female anatomy to help communicate. I have seen multiple women feeding on trams, in resturants, pretty much anywhere they feel the need to. There are other examples as well, but I will save them for another time!!!

My First Czech Sunday...

The aroma of raspberry tea wafted through the air and the aroma of praise wafted to the heavens as twenty of us sat in a room on the third floor of a building in Karvina, a city just outside of Český Těšín. It was wonderful to sit with these brothers and sisters and listen to the sound of this foreign tongue float through the air. It is remarkable that our God understands every language. I don't think I realized how big our God was until I first heard someone praying in a foreign tongue. It really expands ones view of the vastness of God when we realize that He hears us in all languages. As Americans, we are so Anglo-Centric that we forget that God is a God of the world, not just of the US or English-speaking countries. We serve a BIG God!!

Church was good. We went to a church plant this morning that was planted by the church in Český Těšín. There were only twenty people, but it was sweet. There were four kids there who had all been saved recently from the Jehovah Witness background. There was a gypsy man who was there. (The gypsies are the lepers of the Czech culture and many Eastern European countries. The majority make their living by thievery and the are just not liked by the people). The pastor asked me to share this morning (very typical of the Czechs to ask an American to share during a church service). Fortunately God had really impressed something upon my heart during my time in the Word this morning and so I had something fresh in my heart! The entire time was wonderful and I was very encouraged to be with them.

It is crazy to think that this is my new church family. While my family back in the states is still very involved in my life and ministry, these are the people that I will be walking with daily once I am living in Český Těšín on a regular basis. I am excited and nervous to get to know them...my Czech is going to have to get better much more quickly, though, for me to really invest and be invested into by my new family.

I died this morning...

This morning at about 10:30 AM MST I was shot in the back of the head while lying face-down on the floor. A group of eleven missionaries and I were kidnapped by local rebels, and after an hour and a half of intense circumstances and conversations, we were asked to select two people from our group who would volunteer to be killed. With mothers and fathers sitting around me and as the only single man in the group I willingly offered myself up. The other person was an older woman. As we made our decisions we were asked if there was anything that we'd like to tell our families if the rest made it out alive, I immediately thought of my mom. My heart was torn in two as I thought of her hearing of my death. Tears filled my eyes as I told them to tell my parents and my sister and brother how much I love them and to reassure them that I willingly offered up my life for the sake of the Gospel. One of the other women in the room started crying. She was thinking of my mother and how she would feel to lose her own son. Soon one of our captors came and we were quickly rushed out of the 8 ft. x 8 ft. enclosure. He told us to lie on our stomachs. I barely had any time to whisper a prayer before the shots rang out and I realized that my life was over.

While this may seem humorous, believe me it was anything but. For many of the people who were a part of this mornings simulation this scenario is a potential reality. Many of those here at training are going to volatile countries. While the Czech is fairly stable, anything is possible and so we took this exercise very seriously. It made me face the idea that I could potentially die in this manner. There are no guarantees. It also gave me an urgency to tell my family that I love them and to talk about these issues. I was so encouraged as I talked to my parents this afternoon and told them how much I loved them and to let them know that if I were ever in this situation for real that I would respond in the same manner. Both of my parents were very encouraging and said that they have actually talked about it already and that if I were to die on the field that they would both be devastated, but would hold fast to the hope of seeing me again in heaven and in knowing that I died for the Noblest of Causes.

The funny thing is that the point of the scenario wasn't to prepare us for this type of event, but rather to see how we interact with people in intense situations. It was hard for me today. God taught me a lot about who I am. He is continuing to peel away layers of my heart and reveal things that I didn't know about myself. It hurts, but I know that it is good and that it is part of God's process to make me more like His Son.

Sacrifice

Most people are amazed that I am leaving for the Czech. In their opinion I am leaving everything behind. They say things like, "I could never do that," or "You are sacrificing so much", but I have never seen it that way...until recently.

As I've gotten closer to leaving and as I've said bye to friends and family, I've really realized that I really am sacrificing. I don't mean to sound arrogant or prideful in what I'm doing, but rather, I want to acknowledge what God has blessed me with and what I'm really leaving behind. I got to spend some quality time with good friends before I left Arizona a few days ago and as I pondered those friendships I realized what great people the Lord had blessed me with. God has given me a great family in Arizona that has been essential in forming me into the man that I've become. I have a wonderfully supportive family, who though sad to see me go, completely backs me in my decision to serve God. I couldn't have asked for a better life. I couldn't have asked for God to do more in my eight-plus years in Arizona.

But...

As I've spent time here in Chicago with other future Josiah Venture missionaries and as I've thought about rekindling friendships with the other JV missionaries, I've realized that I am entering into a new family. While the old one will never be replaced (no one could ever do that!!) I will learn things that I never could've learned and will grow in ways that I never would have grown and I will build the most unlikely of friendships in the Czech.

My life is changing. It is sad but it is also exciting. Just like I never could've imagined having such a blessed life in Arizona, I'm sure I'll look back on my time in Czech with amazement and wonder at the marvelous things God did.

Tests

I have been experiencing some severe testing over the last couple weeks. At first the tests were infrequent enough to make me think that maybe God was trying to get my attention, but then yesterday the testing showed itself for what it is.

A few weeks ago one of my friend who is starting a new progressive church asked me if I was moving to the Czech for sure. I said yes and then asked why. He brushed the question off, but when I pressed him, he said because the church that is funding his church is looking for a high school pastor. I laughed, said thanks for thinking of me, and dismissed it. Then two days later another friend who may be working with the previous church approached me and asked if I was 100% certain that I was going to the Czech. I immediately knew why he was asking, but I still pushed it with him and he said, because this church is looking for a high school pastor. Again flattered I told him that I am for sure going to the Czech. As I walked away I began to think how cool it would be to work with those two guys, but I know that the Czech is where I am to be.

A couple days later as I was talking to my high school pastor, he began to tell me about all these cool churches that are looking for positions as well. Again I laughed and told him that I am going to the Czech. My outward confidence did not coincide with the doubts that were creeping into my mind. Should I go to the Czech? What do I do with all the money that has already been donated if I decide to stay? It sure would be fun to work with my friends! I knew it was ridiculous to even entertain these thoughts, but these other opportunities sounded so good.

Then yesterday I got the most ridiculously intriguing offer of all. My friend Frank called me. He is the missions youth pastor for a large church just outside of Oceanside, CA (the city my sister lives in). We hadn't spoken in a while and as we were catching up and talking about our respective churches, he told me that a couple of the youth pastors from his church have just left and that he thought it would be cool for me to go out and interview for the position. I literally laughed out loud. This confirmed what I had only assumed before, I was being tested. I told him about the other churches that have approached me and how there have been a lot of great opportunities for me recently. It would be so sweet to work with him and live near my sister and brother, but I keep reflecting back on what my friend Sean told me as I discussed this with him: "Anything worth doing is worth sacrificing for."

Don't we live for an exciting God? I could easily be anxious about all of these opportunities. I could easily question my calling and wonder if I'm doing the right thing. But we live for a God who is with us. His Spirit abides in us and guides us. I can go with confidence to the Czech, knowing that if I am obedient to his command of making disciples and if I am living my life in holiness, then I will be in God's will. What other belief system can offer that type of freedom and guidance?

Skeeter and I

Skeeter is the name of Christian and Jenni's dog. He has a sister named Kona. Skeeter injured his knee and had to have knee surgery to repair it. Since Kona is the hyper-active of the two, Christian and Jenni decided to have Christian's parents watch Kona while Skeeter was rehabbing his knee. This has made Skeeter a very lonely dog.

I moved into Christian and Jenni's house about three weeks ago. On the day I was moving in I suffered the most extremely lonliness that I have felt since I decided to move to the Czech. At first I didn't understand what was going on. I even found myself wondering if I should even go to the Czech. I immediately captured that thought as a lie from the devil and spent some time praying and listening to worship music. The feeling wouldn't pass though.

As I unpacked boxes and got my new room ready, Skeeter kept coming into my room. I don't particularly like animals (I don't hate them-I'm just indifferent), and I don't have lots of experience with them, but I could see the loneliness in Skeeters eyes. I thought about him some and I thought it was odd that he would be lonely even though I was there. I was being extremely friendly to him and petting him, but he kept wimpering...then I realized that he missed Jenni and Christian. Even though I look similar to the other humans that he normally sees and even though I do the same things that they do, he knew I wasn't his owner...

I think it will be the same for me in the Czech. I will be around many people. They will all do similar things that my friends and family do. They will speak, act, and live in a similar fashion to how people do things here, but they will be different. And I will experience lonliness.

I'm actually thankful for that period of lonliness. I feel that it was God's way of giving me a taste of what I will experience in the Czech. It really caught me off guard here, but I am still surrounded my family and friends who love me, so the lonliness has departed for now. I don't know what I would have done if that fit of lonliness had struck while I was in the Czech...it would've been very difficult for me to break out, but now that I have experienced it, I know how to pray for it and I know that I need to be praying about it and when that feeling of lonliness occurs in the Czech there will at least be some familiarity.

First Post

The idea of having a blog is exciting to me. While I love to write, I haven't written anything other than theological and biblical papers over the last four years of my life. As I read other blogs (especially Sarah's) I'm intimdated by the articulate and crafty writting, knowing that my blog will pale in comparison. Yet, I am compelled to write. I am compelled to share what is going on in my life. While I'm in Arizona, I'm sure my blog will be filled with familiar stories, but what will be exciting is when I go to the Czech. My hope is that by having an outlet to share thoughts, feelings, stories, and adventures I will continue to connect with those of you that I consider family and friends. Happy reading and I look forward to reading your comments.

nate