Where I am at

I have a tendency to focus on all the details of my trip. There is a lot of fun stuff we are doing but I'm gonna start trying to make them less of a novel since finding time to update is rare....but the keyword here is TRY! 

A few things have hit me while we were on our city visit in Nove Mesto. We were on a nice little stroll through the woods and out of no where it hit me " WOW! I am SO blessed to be an American." At times I struggle with the culture that I am from and that fact that I don't really speak another language because let's be honest I don't really need to. But, God has blessed me with the gift of being an American. If I wasn't an American I may not be here. I am wanted here by the people of Czech because I am an American and I can reach these people in a different way than say their leaders can. What a privilege! I'm learning that embrace the the situations, the experiences, and the things that God has given me and use them to best glorify him. It's only taken me 24 years to get it.


Nove Mesto, the town we were visiting was incredible. Let me tell you America can learn a thing or two about hospitality from these Czech people! Khue, Petra, and I have been sick for the past week fighting colds. It just turned out that we got to stay in one of the nicest house with the nicest people I have ever met. Every night the lady of the house made us tea to help us get better and feed a deserts and every morning we woke up to more tea to help us get better and amazing food. Not onlt that she packed lunch for our team every day! Bless her little heart. Well one day we went on a hike just to spend time with the Nove Mesto leaders. This little old lady seriously packed us enough food to feed a whole army. We carried it up to the top of Mnt Smrk and enjoyed some. But because of her blessing us with so much food that we could not finish we were able to turn around share that food with other hikers. They would ask where we were from and we would answer " America" and there eye would light up and ask what we were doing here. Then we got to share with them why we are here, to teach English camps through the local churches and love on the youth of Europe. What and incredible moment. Me and my team like to call these " as you go moments" moments that you have to tangibly live out your Christianity as you prepare for whatever lies ahead. At times it doesn't feel like I am on a missions trip because we are doing so much prep. But, I'm still here loving on God's people in those "as you go" moments and I love every bit of them.

Now with our city visit over we are here in Ústí nad Labem where we will be based all summer when we aren't at camps. We are prepping for English classes, resting, and spending time with our God as we gear up for camps.

A few prayer request for you as I end this:
1) health for the team as we get over our colds
2) a solid time of rest before camps
3) we can be a light here in Ústí and take advantage of the as you go moments that are in front of us here


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Jackie