Time Flies

Our last weekend in Prague. It's very hard to believe that we have been here for three months. In that time we have been blessed beyond measure. We have traveled throughout this country as well into others, we have met many great people and friends, and we've gained a lot of experience. Plus we got three months together in our first year of marriage to hang out, in another country! It's been truly amazing.

We leave on Thursday, have various flights and will arrive in Ohio on Friday. It will be a long travel experience, and we have an extra challenge because I like pottery, and bought some (and don't want it to break!) We're even hoping to see a teeny bit of New York Thursday night, just a little at least.

Perhaps after the trip I'll be able to answer the profound questions about how life has been altered from being here. Right now, I don't know those answers. I don't know where we'll live, or work, or when we'll know those answers. However, as Bryan mentioned the other day, God works it all out for us. There's no need to be worried. After I let the worry go a little bit, I got an email that was encouraging in the job hunt. It's a company in Nashville, not exactly sure what all I would be doing- but the pay is decent, benefits are available, and the guy who has been emailing me seems fun. If that's not the job, I'll be okay, find something else, keep hunting. Bryan is still hunting.

About a month into the trip I was ready to leave. I was done with the inconveniences, done with not knowing the language, not knowing the culture and customs, done with being here. Yet, being on the brink of return, I realize that the uncomfortable feeling I had was me being challenged. I feel that I took that challenge head-on and did pretty okay.

I can't wait to see everyone, show you things, tell stories, hang out, talk face-to-face. But, I'm going to enjoy the last few days we have here... 'cause who knows, we may never be back. Then again, we may get home, miss it so bad, and hop on the next flight back! Who knows?

-Brittany

Bulgaria

Our tour through Bulgaria, primarily the Rhodope Mountains was quite beautiful if nothing else. The goal of the trip was to help some people from the states come up with a video and other media to help promote their work throughout the mountain region. We traveled all over Bulgaria in an outdated van, but had a great time. The next two weeks here will be spent figuring out what to do with the media we got, such as Bryan making a video. Hopefully it will work out for the best!

Although we had a great time on the trip, I must reemphasize is how we did spend a lot of time in the van. This poor, poor van has been through it a time or two and we did not take it easy. We literally drove up and down mountains the whole time and the van was on the verge of giving up. One time it did over heat, because we had the air on while going up hill! However, this provided amazing photo opportunities of the mountains. We would just see layers and layers of mountains as the drive continued and I can't explain how amazing it was. The last night we were at a great hotel, with an amazing view, including mountains in Greece!

The focus of the trip is working with a Muslim people group. We were able to visit one village which was an interesting experience. Because we were Americans a lot of the ladies were intimidated, the children were shy, and the men were stand-offish. A few of the women who were a little more brave then the rest even approached us asking for money.



The main cash crop of the area is tobacco and they turn the school yard into harvesting area during the summer. They had all types of drying areas set up and were hanging the tobacco from them in the school yard. Most of the people in our group were overly amazed as they had never seen tobacco drying before... Bryan and I however were simply laughing at the fact they had never seen it and were overwhelmed by it. I guess that's part of living in Kentucky.

We also got to visit the mosque and play with some kids who were attending religion class. The teacher had left and they were playing around and tried to entertain us a little bit. They do take English in school and were able to communicate just a little but they were very cute.

We also got to talk to some adults in a different region of Bulgaria. It was very interesting to hear their take on various aspects of life such as religion, family, school, and what is important to them. One thing to keep in mind about this area- they were over taken by the Turks and forced to become Muslim some 500 years ago. They don't know much about their religion, but do follow a little.

They have a lot of fears, but do not mention them out loud. Christians and Muslims live in very close community to each other, but since neither are overly religious, it doesn't seem to have much tension on the outside. However we did find that with different missionaries coming to the area trying to rally the causes the tension is growing. And then there are some areas where it is segregated; either a Muslim or Christian village. This normally stems from animosity and the time when Turks did take over. Many Christian Bulgarians consider the Muslims traders. Therefore, many people are fearful that there will be a crisis as in other countries nearby. On top of those underlying issues, the country was under communism for years, that adds to their skepticism and worry. And now there are a lot of business coming in and capitalizing on their beautiful nature by building ski resorts and hotels causing a water and energy crisis.




So all in all the people we spent the week with are feeling hopeless and overwhelmed, but don't express it often. Hopefully the group we were working with can infiltrate the area and bring a little light into such a dark hopeless place.

Bulgaria was a lot different then the Czech Republic, a little dirtier, people seemed to notice other people (we especially stood out as foreigners), and being in the villages made it feel worlds away from the big city of Prague. But we enjoyed it, ate some great food (lots of shopska salad), got some pottery, and had a great time with the team.



I included a few photos, but as usual, the rest are on our flickr site!

We'll be home in less than two weeks!

-Brittany

Traveling Again...

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for Bulgaria.

Someone asked me what is in Bulgaria.

I said Bulgarians.

We're not sure what to expect on this trip.

This trip will be a different one as we are not working with students. It will also be different because we are attending a "vision trip. This means that the coordinators from the states will be touring around the country strategizing on that they need to do to help expand the ministry opportunities in Bulgaria. Also, another focus will be on how to reach the Bulgarian Muslims which is much different then anything else we have done this summer.

Keep us in your prayers as we travel to once again tackle the video/photo task. I am not sure of internet accessibility on this trip, so there may be little to no updating while we're gone, but we will update when we get back.

On another note, time has flown by and we will be leaving in three weeks to start our return to the states. Can you believe it? We're still having a great time and trying to focus on enjoying the remainder of time we have here while trying to get things prepped for our return home (jobs, apt, etc).

-Brittany

What We've Been Up To...

With so much going on, this post will be an attempt to touch of all of it without boring you to tears!

Olomouc went great. The students seemed to really enjoy themselves and their time in the Czech Republic. We really enjoyed our time with them as well. You don't realize how different it really is here sometimes until you are immersed in a group of people from home. It was a really nice break and a really amazing opportunity to be able to work with the IWC. The kids made films through the week, passed out, flyers, and did sports ministry. We mostly documented it and posted onto the website OlomoucLIVE and got the chance to get to know a lot of the kids. One aspect that was really inspiring was the mere fact that Czechs in general do not feel a need for God. This land of cathedrals is a land without a God and without a desire to know a God. Yet, the kids were persistent, encouraging, and strong in their faith.


Immediately after returning from our Olomouc trip we went back to Cesky Krumlov, this time to go camping. We had some rainy weather, actually a lot of rainy weather, but it wasn't too horrible. We spent Saturday raft/canoeing down the Vtala River. Mostly it was canoeing, or floating but at different places they have "rapids." The main purpose of the rapids is to control the flow and height of the river, however they're pretty fun to go down as well, not intense, but fun.


We've also done a little more touring of Prague itself which is always exciting. The more time we spend here, the less touristy we feel, which is always nice. That also means we have been tending to break out of just going to the main areas when we wander around town. We visited Vysehrad which had an amazing view of the city and in general was simply gorgeous. It was a nice way to relax on the weekend. Also, we've returned to the Charles Bridge and Lennon Wall, two of our favorite spots in Prague.



The last major thing we've done recently was visit Terezin. This is a concentration camp northwest of Prague. This particular camp was operated in WWII, but was not an execution camp (although many died there, and many passed through on their way to an extermination camp). It was a very surreal experience. We stood in many of the barracks and rooms where so many people lived- way too many for the size of the room. It was really humbling, and sad, but educational. It's always hard to realize some of the world's past- but lest we forget. On our way out we met Harold. We overheard him saying something along the lines of him being there in 1945. Once we realized he was not joking, we approached him and talked for awhile. Our first thought was that he was a Jewish prisoner at Terezin. However, we quickly learned he was a German who was thirteen in 1945 and was a part of Hilter's youth. He said that he was forced to be in it, and after the war taken prisoner by the Czechoslovakia government. It was really interesting to talk to him, and hear a different side of the WWII story.


So that's the details of what we've been doing the last little bit. Friday we are leaving for Bulgaria on another media trip. We'll be following around and documenting the work that is going on there, and the vast amount of need that exists in Bulgaria for more missionaries. It seems like it will be a good trip, but possibly a little stressful because a lot of details are still unknown.

Please keep us in your prayers as a lot is going on. We'll be arriving in the states in a few weeks and have started looking and applying for jobs, and also looking for an apartment. We're focused on the Nashville area right now for many reasons, but we do feel that is the right direction for us right now- so continued prayer for guidance would be greatly appreciatated!

Lastly, we will be producing a newsletter of sorts when we get back. We want to disperse it to whomever would like to receive it, but especially those who supported us in anyway. If you would like to receive one please let me know! I prefer to email copies rather then print and mail but am willing to do either. You can note in the comments here, or by emailing me at starlight724@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your continued dedication and supporting us while here. You have no idea how much it means to know we have so many people stateside excited for our opportunity here as well as anxious to have us return. We'll see you all soon!

Olomouc

photo: city center of Olomouc

This will be a quick one just to drop in and let everyone know we're in Olomouc, and things are going great. The students arrived safely on Saturday, and we've been here since Thursday focused on making videos, taking photos, and interacting with some American kids.

The basis of the week is interacting with the local people and the students are also making short films that we will be played for the masses on Thursday. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers and go visit the site we're "working" on this week for more pictures/videos/stories since I won't have time to upload to my personal flickr until we get back! (and thanks for everyone who already has!!)

www.olomouclive.ceemedia.net

Hulk-Tacos

The art of cooking in another country is not one easily obtained. Tonight was a prime example. I've made tacos many times at home and here. This time we went shopping elsewhere then normal and therefore the taco seasoning was not the usual type. This was a burrito seasoning and a "dressing-sauce" to top the taco with they came together but in two seperate packets. Well, since I couldn't read which was which, I guessed... it didn't look quite right, so I added the other one... and they turned out a little.... green. So tonight was Hulk-Taco night!

For an update of our life here... we're halfway through our time here and it's feeling more and more natural to be here, however somethings from home are dearly missed. It's funny how when you go somewhere you expect to miss certain things... and then you end up missing completely different ones. For example, we ate Kraft mac-n-cheese and it was the closest thing to manna from heaven I've had.

And Dr. Pepper is not the same.

Friday we took a small tour of the castle area as well as Petrin Hill. This was indeed a lot of fun. We didn't get to see everything we wanted to because there's so much to do and we went on a Friday which means it was really busy. However the castle was fun seeing part of the Changing of the Guard, and then at Petrin Hill we climbed the observation tower which was a model of the Eiffel Tower, but smaller then Kings Island's. The view atop the 299 steps was amazing and we got a lot of amazing pictures of the whole city! We also got to ride a Funicular which was....fun (haha) which is a tram that is made to go up and down a large hill/mountain. There was also a really pretty rose garden, check out our flickr for more pictures of this.






On another note, Bryan and I saw another side of the city this past weekend as well. We tried to venture out and see the sites less common, my choice, and it was an adventure. We tried to go to a fountain that had a show that went with music, to a giant metronome, and a few other places. We had a hard time finding them, and if we did, it was a bust. The metronome we didn't find, the fountain looked a little nasty and was expensive, and we saw this "carnival" that was the most pitiful thing I've ever seen. We decided the weekend was a bust for site seeing and to stick with what we know, but we had fun at least.

Thursday we leave for over a week. First we'll be in Olomouc working with International World Changers and we'll be doing videos, photos, journals, etc and posting them on this site. So feel free to check it out. After that we'll be going camping for the weekend possibly back to Cesky Krumlov... not sure yet. Actually once we leave this week, I feel the time is going to start going a lot faster. We'll be in Bulgaria July 25-30 possibly going to Terezin July 19, and trying to visit anywhere else in the time before August 14. So we'll be busy the next little bit.

Please feel free to check out the Olomouc website http://olomouclive.ceemedia.net/ while we're there as that's a prime example of a lot of the work we've been doing while here.

Macedonia

So how do you start to explain a life-changing event like my trip to Skopje, Macedonia. It seems that no matter how many times I go over it my head, I can’t not think about the kids. I guess I should start at the begging; I was sent by my company to Macedonia to film a youth group that volunteered a week of their lives to work in a Roma community. Now the Roma are a nomadic people group that are typically scattered in and throughout central and eastern europe. Largely, they keep to themselves and do not associate with “Godjoe” or none Roma. For the past twelve years, Betty, a missionary living in Skopje has been working tirelessly to set up connections, encourage relationships, and tell the Roma about Jesus. Joined after three years by Karen, who has devoted her life to assisting Betty in spreading the love of Christ to these people. With Karen's medical background, she as been able to set up a program to provide limited medical needs for the Roma people. The Roma are impoverished, largely Muslim, and typically unemployed.



Through the missionaries, the Lord was able to open the opportunity for the youth group to come in. Three Fuge staffers gave their time and planned it down to a tee, while I got sent to document it all. What an incredible opportunity for me. I have been working for the past month and a half in one of the regional offices in Prague and it has been difficult for me just being in an office. They planned a sort of day camp for the kids jam-packed with activities, songs, crafts, and general goofiness. This trip was a breath of fresh air, I spent my days filming, playing football (soccer), dodgeball, hacki-sack, and showing kids something they’ve never seen before, a video camera. Most of the kids wore the same clothes every day, some of them didn’t have shoes, and most of them will never go to school. But their hearts are full, and they just wanted to play, hug, and love on us, which was funny because that was what we were all sent there to do for them.




On Thursday, we visited a playground in the Georgie-Patroff area that was surrounded by a recycling plant. Huge stacks of rusted metal, old cars, steel and iron pieces, and glass encircled the playground. By playground, I refer to a basketball court with a ten foot fence around it, situated on the outskirts of a Roma community where 30,000 live in a place designed for 10,000; overshadowed by the construction of a multi-million dollar American embassy complex. It made my stomach churn to see such needs unmet. Truly, I have seen the face of God in the eyes of those children. Because the law in Macedonia prohibits anyone from using religious propaganda of any kind in the country, our ministry was love, it was the first time those kids have gotten to experience anything like that before. What an incredible witness to us and them...



“Praise God to whom all blessings flow...”

-Bryan