Avoidance

During the last few months, I have been struggling. As most of you probably know by now this is my final year in the CZ. Since I made this decision, I have had moments of joy, fear, frustration, sadness, peace, hope, excitement, and almost every other emotion on the scale. The part that has been the most difficult has been trying to understand why the Lord called me to a place and a people I have come to love as my own for such a short time, only to bring me back to the US with no defined vision for what He wants me to do next. I have been asking a lot of WHYs? Because of this, I have dived into a quarter-life mini crisis feeling untethered and a little lost at times for a good portion of this year instead of diving into Him. But through it all, I have learned several things and am continuing to learn some world view shaking principles.

1) He never hides, even if you do.
2) Just because you aren't succeeding, doesn't mean you are failing.
3) Leaving doesn't mean saying goodbye, it means work harder.
4) Sometimes "wide-open" is stinking intimidating.
5) Taking a step back, while painful, can truly help you see the bigger picture.

While to you most of these short quips may seem somewhat trite, but to me, they have been grounding. They have helped me to see more clearly the cliche phrases that Christians often pass around about the Lord being there in our times of need and their truth.

I have recently learned that its ok to take your hurt and struggle with it, but truly when you let Him take control, impossible things seem to happen. Personally, I am turning over a new leaf and diving deeply into His love, remembering that I can have as much of the Lord as I want and I am excited to see exactly what that means right now.

My time in Czech has been precious and life-changing, hopefully not just to me, but also to those that I have built relationships with. I continue to pray for Ostrava and the missionaries that are staying behind here. I know that the Lord will continue to do incredible things in this place and I can't wait to come back to see what happens!

I am looking forward to finding my new place in life and spending some time with you all. I thank you for your continued prayers and support. I would also appreciate continued prayers for the people of the Czech Republic and that their lives would be radically altered.

Love you all and talk to you soon!

Christmas Surprise!

Belated Merry Christmas to you all! (Click here to see: Christmas in O-town) I am sorry I did not send out anything this year but I I was a little busy...I went home surprised all you Knox people and had a blast doing it! Let me say that if you ever get the chance to do this to your friends and family, do it! It is the best surprise they will and ever get and it is a ton of fun for you too! Just ensure that you won't give anyone a heart attack when you do it! Well, for your enjoyment, I have made a video compilation of my many surprises caught on film...beware there is a fair amount of screaming and crying from all involved!

I hope to talk to you all again soon! I hope you enjoy it!

Click here: Christmas Surprise

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:17

Let the Little Ones Come

     I am doing something I really thought I would never do...teaching at an elementary school. As much as I, Chelsea, love children, I have never felt the call to teach young kids. As a teacher in the States, I always thought high school was great because not only could you teach them things but you could relate to them on a personal level.
    When I got back to Czech this school year, the Lord said, "haha. That's what you thought then. Now I'm going to give you some little tiny kids that literally can't understand you, because they don't speak English and see how you do with their behaviour issues then!" I am a big enough person to admit to you that I was terrified! I have to say that first day when I walked in and my contact (and former student) met me, I knew then and there that the Lord answers prayers, because the first words she said were, "we don't really know what we are doing, but we are excited to have you here! We want you to be happy, the Czech teachers to be happy, and the students to be happy. It will be great!"
   Since then I have felt so welcomed at this school by everyone. I even went away to the mountains for a weekend with teachers. One of the other English teachers and I have discovered a common love of super heroes and have begun watching some films and shows together and metting for dinner.
    And those holy terrors we call kids, they have been so great! Don't get me wrong, they are just as mischievous as American children, but they always ask such cute, simple, English questions and always desire to try to say something to the foreigner (aka me), such as "you have good shirt, Miss Chelsea." 
   I have also realized how much vocabulary of the extremely basic math I have forgotten. While I may remember how to do it, I do not remember all of the exact technical terms for it, especially not on the fly as I am expected to. Thank God for Google!
    While some days are still trying and I don't know that elementary school is my long-term calling, I do know that I am called there for now, for today and I will work at it with all my heart as working for Him. And I must say getting a sweet compliment from an eight year old in broken English doesn't make the day go to badly either. ;-)

Filmy Vikend: Part III

View from our cabin

     Wow! Whenever I think back to three years ago this weekend--my very first Czech weekend away. The fear and trepidation that preceded that weekend, the awkwardness of the whole experience of travelling someplace with people you don't know being compounded with an utter lack of understanding anything and I mean anything--the language, culture, what or how to pack, where we were going, how were would get there, what we would do, what my role was, and remember again it was all in a different language. And I compare it to the past weekend. It amazes me what can happen in three years and how the Lord can work miracles and answer prayers. I am happy to say I actually understood the leaders' prep emails sent in Czech, I knew the kids that were going, I actually feel like a part of the ministry team working with the youth, and I now consider this to be one of the best weekends of the year. (Trust me, my language skills are far from perfect and just about everyday I have some sort of culture issue, but it is incredible how the Lord can use our inadequacies). 

Leaders after a crazy frisbee golf game in which we were the holes

    Just so you know, Film Weekend is, quite obviously, a weekend where youth are invited to the mountains to watch films in English from a Christian perspective. This year we watched Forrest Gump, The Hunger Games, Robin Hood, and The Incredibles. After each film, the kids get in discussion groups to answer some questions. Then, a leader gives a short talk about how they viewed the film. For example, this year after The Hunger Games the leader talked about how the main character, Katniss, chose to sacrifice herself for her sister out of love just as Jesus sacrificed himself for each of us because he loved us. This weekend is a great wekkend that is low-key and non-threatening for kids that aren't Christians to talk about Jesus. I am so glad for the courage the Lord gave both the kids and me that first year because film weekend is really an incredible experience!

The kids watching the pre-movie skit

Quick Update

Hey everyone!

     Just  a quick update, I asked for prayer the other day, because we (my teammates and I) were having some trouble with our new work permits and with our visa renewals. Well, answer to prayer, we received an extension in our passports to return later in September, which is great news since we already had non-refundable tickets! We still will have a lot of finagling to do when we return in the fall but for now things are on the right track.

   Also, we officially began the moving process this week. This is going to be a two month deal because while our stuff has moved out and into its new home, the previous owners will still be living there for an indefinite period of time. The hope is they will be moving out about the same time that I return from America in September so my teammates and I can move into our new home. It has been a bit of a stressful week, but God has really been good and both processes have gone smoother than anticipated and have been a blessing.

    This week has been a crazy week though! We have moved, my school has had one of its biggest events of the year all week long that has involved Czech news and radio and 800 children, we have visited the foreign police, and tomorrow, I am going to Junior English Camp for a week. There is nothing quite like finishing the year with a bang! It has been a year of joy and ups and downs. Too much to ever put into a few blog posts, but I look forward to visiting with many of you when I come home in just over a week!

Přeji vám pokoj jež můžete nalézt pouze u Něj! (I wish you a peace that can only be found in Him!) 

Silly and a little sad

   My teammates will tell you that in the flat I am obsessed with a few things when I see them outside our windows. One I have already blogged about and that is our flame (I still shout, "Flame on!" as though I am Johnny Storm every time I see it). And the second is hot air balloons. 

I think they are just so beautiful! At some point I will probably write a separate blog about what I find to be the significance of those magical zeppelins floating in the sky, but for now, 

 

I thought I should just document what was probably the last time I would see not just one but TWO out my fantastic windows at the Korunni flat before we move.(FYI, my roommates, I think, hate whenever I see a hot air balloon, because I holler and shout for them to come look and I don't think they really care. Oh well! 

Don't worry you beings of advertisement, your wonder is not yet  lost on me). So here are my photos from that morning.

AND my roommates (Ashley- left, Shelly- right) giving in to my impulsiveness and taking some crazy photos of our last meal in the Korunni flat. We had breakfast casserole, and boy, was it yummy! Even if I do say so myself! 

You can also see some of the packing insanity that is going on and how I officially permitted each person to have only one of each kitchen utensil and packed the rest away. I have been a bit OCD with getting ready to move, but we will be ready come Wednesday! Never fear!

 


So long Korunni flat! You have been great and we have had a lot of fun living here! You will be missed! But we are looking forward to our new home! Look out here we come!

Moving

     Moving, such a simple verb, but by definition an action which actually alters our physical state of being. And moving house, or as we Americans shorten it to--moving, a word that by definition usually alters one's life so completely that there is no going back. Think about it, nothing is ever the same. So not only is this verb the biggest hassle in the world, but it will turn your world on its side (maybe not in a bad way, but it will definitely be different). 

     Have you ever moved? If you have, you know what I'm talking about. First the painful search for somewhere new to live, next comes the always excruciating chore of packing and unpacking-the endless juggling of items, redding out those items you never really use any way, finding boxes, and bubble wrap with which you precariously store precious items now and have hours of delightfulness with later popping. Then, the sentimental or hurried good-bye as you leave your old home. Next, you settle in to your new place selecting just the right spot for each keepsake trying to maximizing on the storage in your new home, attempting to bring order to chaos. Finally, the hardest part of all comes the new normal. Your new life, wherever you moved, is something that you must learn to thrive in.

     This month in Czech we are, yep, you guessed it, moving! However, unlike my move to the CZ I do not think this move will be quite so life-altering. But I am keeping an open-mind--the Lord can do some pretty incredible things. To quantify this move for you guys though, my teammates and I have to be out of our flat by the end of the month, but we can't quite move into our home for the fall yet because the owners are still living there. We will be nomads for a few days until we leave for the summer. Then when we return in the fall we will pull it out of closets and rooms that we have stashed it in and complete the moving process. The flat we are moving to has a huge kitchen/dining area, an even larger living room, 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, entryway, computer room, and a terrace. It is about 15 minutes away from my current place and is in the center of the city, next to my favorite cafe! (One downside, the place has a four floor walk-up! Yay, nice calves!)

    The other major difference with this move will be a change in our team. We are moving forward in time. Two of our team members will be going home in just a few weeks and they won't be returning to Ostrava next year. I will miss them very much, but I know for them that this is the correct choice. Jessica is going to Atlanta and will be participating in a missions organization called Mission Year. Ashley will be heading home to spend some time with her family and begin job hunting. Erica, Shelly and I are excited to meet our new teammate, but I'll tell you about her in another blog after I meet her.

     In so many ways we move in life both physically and metaphorically, that it can be daunting, energizing, terrifying, awe-inspiring, and so many other feelings that make you want to add an emoticon in extra large print to your life. No matter what though, when we live a life with Christ we have a hope that does not disappoint us because we have been given the Holy Spirit and his love which he has poured out in us through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). And during all these experiences and regardless of what life brings us, we can continue on in his strength.

For our light and momentary troubles [although they may not seem so light and easy in this life] are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 

2 Corinth. 4:17 (comments added by me)