Jesus and the Journey

  I've been back in the States for nearly three weeks now. It is crazy how the time has flown. If I am being honest, it already feels like life in the Czech is a distant memory. Coming back here has brought with it lots of different emotions to process - and placed me in positions I never imagined coming home to. But, there will always be things in life that we don't see coming. I am learning with each passing day that I am less and less in control of my life than I would ever let myself believe. Yet, that isn't a bad thing. Because the less in control I have, the more control God has.  I wanted to speak of the faithfulness of God in my return home.  The attack on Ukraine happened on a Thursday. I had awoken to the tragic news, but felt like there was nothing in the moment that I could do but pray and go about my day as normally as possible. When I was at work that night, I was receiving calls from others in the States or friends in the Czech, asking about my safety, talk...

I will be the first to admit that writing a blog in times like these feels incredibly insignificant and silly. With the attacks on Ukraine this week and hundreds of thousands of displaced, panicked people fleeing for their lives, it is difficult to sit idly by and type this to you. But, I want you to know that I am currently safe here in Hradec Kralove, and it seems that we will remain safe. Obviously, we have no way of knowing that with 100% certainty, but do we ever really have that certainty? No.  Before the attacks on Thursday, there had been mere murmurs about the tensions rising, but nothing that I had thought too much about. It seemed like such a distant reality.  And then, the day actually came. While Ukraine is not directly next to the Czech Republic, the attacks still feel a little too close for my comfort. I began to panic over the reality of the situation and the ambiguity of the future. And then, God brought to my mind those thousands of people. Suddenly without a...

  If you know me at all, you know how much I love the sun. I love the warmth of it on your skin, the light it gives to fill the room, the way it makes everything it touches seem brighter, happier, and not so heavy. It is a reminder to me that it will not always be dark. Not in the world, not in my mind, not in my circumstances.  For the first month that I was here, the sun very rarely shown itself (like three times, maybe). Which was one reason that my transition here was so difficult. But thankfully this week, the sun has been out often, and on those days, I simply soak it in. One way I've been doing that is by going on walks everyday. One day this week, I was walking along the sidewalk and I noticed that at nearly every house, a dog was laying out, perfectly basking in the sun's light and heat. They looked completely content, not a care in the world. (I'm not sure if dogs ever have cares - but laying in that sun, they seem as worry free as they could ever be!)  Before, ...

  It's hard to believe it's already been a month here. And yet it is also hard to believe it has only been a month. A month in a foreign land. A month of lessons learned, tears cried, prayers prayed, deep laughter, and a greater dependence on the Lord than I have ever experienced. A season that will never be completely replicated. But, one filled with new knowledge that I will carry with me into the seasons after.  As I said before, I've been reading through the gospels. This past week, I came upon Matthew 14:22-33, a familiar passage, one I could almost paint from memory. It starts with Jesus alone, praying on the mountainside. Perhaps recuperating after all that he has done: the healings, the teachings, the miracle of feeding the five thousand just before this story begins. When Jesus is weary, he seeks out time to be completely alone with the Father. This is seen many different times within the gospel narrative. With Christ as our example, we can learn that it is importa...

Everyone handles culture shock differently. And I'd studied it in undergrad to prepare myself for what it would feel like. Even then, I was completely taken aback by it. It is so difficult for someone to understand who has never experienced it before, but I will do my best to share my experience here. Some people go through a "honeymoon phase" when they initially enter the country. This is where the experience of new culture is exciting and thrilling and all that is new is enticing and leaves a person in awe. I had a couple, "My life feels like a movie" moments. Then, this rosey mentally sort of fades or dies down as the weeks pass. It isn't that the culture isn't as beautiful as it was before, it's simply that the newness and thrill have waned down.  I felt like my honeymoon phase didn't last long, perhaps because of the season of winter that makes it more difficult to get out and explore on a whim or the fact that energy sapped from me so quick...

  A friend of a friend picked me up in Prague as I made my way from the airplane. I was exhausted and definitely looked like I'd been traveling for over 24 hours. He bought me a train ticket and we conversed as we waited for our time to board.  I stepped onto the train, and every car had one or two people in it. I was unsure of whether I was supposed to sit in any car or if I was supposed to find an empty one. So, I walked to the end of the long, narrow hallway, and my friend said, "You can sit in any of the cars, ya know."  And I'd come to the last one in that section of the train. A middle-aged man was sitting in the car by himself next to the window. I peeked in and asked, "Can I sit with you?"  "Yes, of course. Can I help you with your bags?" *at this point I was realizing that I had overpacked for my trip and gave off white-American tourist vibes.  We got my luggage situated in the racks above our seats, and I sat across from him. My friend wi...

I have always been passionate about writing and adventure, and I decided that I wanted to share my experiences and the lessons that God is teaching me on a platform that is easily accessible. Hence the beginning of this blog series! Welcome, to a space of vulnerability, a place of documenting the work that God is doing in my life :) I'm so glad you're here.  Just shy of two weeks of living in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. WHAT!  I often reflect on the faithfulness of God that led me to this point in my journey. Most days I wake up and cannot believe that I am actually here. This call on my life has been years in the making, and this specific call to the Czech has been nine months in the making - really two years if you count COVID's cancellation of the first planned trip here in 2020. Yet, God has not left me for a moment. He has been present in the midst of my fears, disappointments, discouragements, celebrations, moments of joy and excitement, and everything else in b...