Goodbye England

In 18 hours I will be leaving on a flight back to the Czech Republic where I will be staying for a few days. I have had an awesome time in London and have gotten to know many wonderful people that I will miss. This week involved a lot of random odds and ends, but it was good.

Monday, Sam and I went to Dover for the Bank Holiday. In the morning we explored Dover Castle and the World War II tunnels snaking beneath it. The afternoon involved hiking along the white cliffs and taking in some amazing views. It was a great trip.

Paper writing and editing occurred on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I am one footnote away from finishing my second (and final) paper! I just need a source back at IBTS. I have loved researching and writing this semester and I hope to continue it sometime in the future.

Other events this week included a visit the research heaven, otherwise known as

the British Library, viewing the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum, and playing Settlers with my friends from Wood Green Mennonite Church. All in all a good week.

I continue to work on job applications and am starting to diversify the locations where I look for jobs. Your prayers continue to be appreciated in this area. I'm not sure when I'll post again as my family is coming to visit this week and we will be doing a lot of traveling. Yay! Pray for safe journeys for us all.

It has been a joy sharing my work and adventures with you and thank you all for the opportunity to do so. I have been blessed beyond measure. Peace. R

One down!

Hello all! This week was markedly less busy than last week. I started back working on my papers and finished the one for my Church and Social Ethics class. It is entitled "The Anabaptist/Mennonite Peace Ethic: From Inception to Current Practice". I will finish my second paper by mid-week. It is coming along nicely. I feel I have struck a nice balance between work and enjoying the sites in and around London.

The theater was the activity this week. I took in two shows with some friends. On Friday, Emily, Chris, Tim and I went to the Globe for a performance of "Macbeth". We got the cheap (standing) seats in the yard, but then we got to interact with the actors as they came through. "Macbeth" is a gory story, and this performance had plenty of blood. I would not want to see it at

night. Creepy. Saturday morning Sam and I waited in line to get tickets to a performance of "Enron". The show is a dark comedy/drama about the rise and fall of the company. Though it got rave reviews in London, with which I would agree, when the show opened in New York, it wasn't well received. I can't imagine why? So it was a chance to see a show I can't see back home.

A week from tomorrow, I'll be headed back to the Czech Republic. It is amazing how fast time flies. This week holds more paper writing and perhaps more traveling. Your prayers continue to be coveted. Love and miss you all!

Study Holiday

Whew! This past week has been jam packed with all sorts of wonderful adventures. It began with another ash cloud delay which prevented the rest of the EMS-Lancaster group from joining Rachel and me in Bristol, so unexpectedly we had three days of free time in the city. We spent Monday catching up on episodes of Glee and doing some shopping. Tuesday was filled with visiting the docks of Bristol, known for their involvement in the slave trade, as well as attending Evensong at the Bristol Cathedral. Our last day in Bristol, Wednesday, Rachel and I travelled to nearby Bath. We visited the Jane Austen Centre and saw the Roman baths. In the afternoon we walked around a multicultural part of Bristol and met with Mike who works with Urban Expressions a church planting organization based in the UK. While we were in Bristol, we stayed with Stuart and Sian Murray who were wonderful and gracious hosts and provided us with all we needed during our time. Thursday morning Rachel and I left for London.

The remainder of the EMS-Lancaster group had arrived in Brussels and crossed the Channel that day and we met them in London. After lunch and discussion about faith and politics in Post-Christendom with Jonathan from Ekklesia, the group relaxed for the afternoon. Some of us went for a walk at the nearby Kensington Gardens before meeting the rest of the group for a light supper. Friday was our fullest day. The class traveled to East London to meet with Juliet and several members of Urban Expression teams to discuss the definition and structure of church in a Post-Christendom setting. After that, the group rode the Tube to Westminster to see Big Ben and the Abbey. We attended Evensong at Westminster Abbey and had a chat with one of the priests afterwards about his call to the ministry and how he views the role of church in England today. Then we walked from the Abbey to Buckingham Palace and through Hyde Park and then stopped for supper. A part of the group chose to walk the back to the hotel and by the end of the day

everyone was tired. The lightest day was Saturday which began with a visit to the London Mennonite Centre where I showed them around and gave a brief history of the organization. From there Ann went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the remainder of the group rode the London Eye. Just a warning, do not ride the London Eye mid afternoon during unseasonably hot weather. It is like a greenhouse. Nevertheless, it was a good experience. Sunday was my last day with the class as they went to various churches in London before heading down to Bristol to make up the part of the course that they missed. The week was a wonderful time to discuss Christianity in a new way and hang out with a bunch of awesome women, and Steve (the instructor) too.

My papers are nearing completion and I would appreciate your prayers as I transition back from holiday into working again. Prayers for my job search are also much appreciated. Until next week...

Outside London

You all get a special treat this week. I'm posting the blog one day early! The reason being that early (3 am) Sunday morning I'm leaving to go to Bristol for the week. I'm piggybacking on EMU-Lancaster's cross cultural to the UK. I'm picking up another participant at the airport tomorrow morning and then we are taking the bus down. The topic of this cross cultural meshes nicely with my research topics and I am excited to participate.

Speaking of research, I received the rough draft of my first paper back on Thursday and spent Friday revising it. It needs another 10 hours or

so or work and then I'll be ready to hand it in. So close...

Today, I went with a friend, Tristian, on a day trip to Oxford. We took the train up and spent the afternoon on a walking tour of the city and university. I was amazed at how intermingled they were. We had wonderful weather and the tour was fun and informational.

Please pray for my time in Bristol this week as well as for continued guidance for my plans and job situation when I return home. Blessings!

FYI: The pictures are of All Saint's College and the Coat of Arms at the Divinity school

A Relaxing Week

Let me begin this week's post by wishing Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mother. I love you so much and I am so blessed to have you as my Mom!

Overall, this week was fairly relaxing. I finished writing the rough draft of my second paper and sent it off to my professor yesterday. Now all I have to do is wait to see how many corrections I have to make on both my papers, but at least the bulk of the work is done. Whew!

Because it was a lighter week work wise for me, I was able to take in a few sites

around the city and hang out with some new friends I am making. On Tuesday, I took a walking tour of Old Town London and saw such sights as the Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral. Afterwards, I met up with a few friends from church and we saw a play called "Ruined" about a woman trying to run a business in the war torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. Though it was a weighty subject, the time spent with friends was a wonderful diversion.

This weekend, Alan and Ellie Kreider, former directors of the LMC are in town and in addition to preaching in church this morning, they have provided many opportunities for the staff and current residents to gather together and reminisce. I am continually blessed by the relationships I have formed here with people at the LMC and the connections I have made with our guests.

What this week holds, I do not know. It greatly depends on how quickly I receive the corrections and comments back on my papers. However, starting next Sunday I will be spending some time with an EMU-Lancaster cross-cultural that is studying in the UK. I am looking forward to getting to know new people and seeing a different part of the island.

Thank you so much for the support you have given me. Please continue to pray for direction my job situation when I return home and in the fall, as well as for the staff here at the LMC. Peace to all of you.

Living in Twilight and other happenings

This week has been chock full of lots of wonderful things. I'm about finished with rough draft #2 and I've gotten to participate in several fun activities. Friday evening we had a cookout at the London Mennonite Centre, despite the threat of rain. It was a great chance for all of us to enjoy the garden. Later on that night, I went with several women from the LMC to a quilt exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I wish they would have allowed photographs in the exhibit, because the quilts were breathtaking, a good mix of history and art. My biggest event this week was the opportunity I was given to provide a short message during the Sunday service at Wood Green Mennonite Church.

I was asked to share a little of my story and where I see God moving in my life right now. I also wanted to share it with you all. Many thanks to my awesome prayer partner Bethany for reading it over for me. And if you are part of the Springdale congregation, I borrowed something from Pastor Mark. Can you discover what it is?

Grace and peace to you from of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. My name is Regina Wenger and I was asked this afternoon to share a little bit about myself and my journey here to Wood Green Mennonite Church. The first thing about me, and you can probably tell by my accent is that I am an American. I call the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia home. I have a wonderful and supportive family, group of friends, and home congregation. In December of 2009 I graduated from Eastern Mennonite University with a degree in History, Secondary Education, and Bible. Instead of finding a job substitute teaching, I decided to spend a semester studying and serving in Europe.

Beginning in late January, my friend, Lena Risser, and I headed to Prague in the Czech Republic. I began taking two graduate classes at International Baptist Theological Seminary and we both started some service and relationship building on behalf of Eastern Mennonite Missions. At the end of March, Lena traveled back to South Korea to continue a ministry she had begun using her gift of music. For visa reasons and because the London Mennonite Centre has a fantastic Anabaptist library, I ended up coming here to London.

Now I could spend the remaining time I have providing you with more biographical detail or delving into my research topics, but that would undoubtedly be rather dull, I feel I have something more to share with you this afternoon.

Last Sunday, through a series of mishaps, Chris Adams and I wandered into a Quaker meeting. We spent almost an entire hour in complete silence. Since then, I believe God has been working at my heart. When I fly back home on June 17, I have no idea what I’ll be doing. I am a planner by nature, so to me this prospect is more than a little disturbing. It is in dealing with this concern that God has been teaching me this week.

Sometimes I like to listen to music when I write and this week I discovered the song “Living In Twilight” by The Weepies, and the lyrics spoke to the concerns of my heart. According to the dictionary, not only is twilight the period of time following the sunset or a series of young adult novels, but it can also be defined as a time of ambiguity and obscurity. In that sense, I am living in twilight right now. Not knowing if I’ll get a teaching job or what to do if I don’t weighs heavily on my mind. To me June 17^th is the nightfall of the complete unknown. It is this mindset that God has been altering for me this week. He is teaching me through the spiritual disciplines of patience and trust to step out into the twilight.

I am slowly learning to embrace the unknowns of my future. It is a day-to-day exercise in learning to trust God. While I know that uncertainty is a condition common to young adulthood, it is by no means exclusive to us. We all have moments in twilight. However, I am finding that as the night of my self-imposed deadline approaches, the light of God begins to shine more brilliantly. I am continually amazed by its vastness. I know that after twilight and the night, God will break forth in a glorious new way. But first, I have to let go of the previous day and enter into the twilight. Join me around the Lord’s Table and we can walk this journey together. (It was a communion Sunday)

Well, there you have it. I continue to covet your prayers in this season of twilight. Thank you for all that you have done for me and continue to do. Until next week...

Accomplishments and Adventures

The first part of this week was relatively quiet. The volcanic ash kept many guests from coming until mid week and half of the staff at the LMC was off site. However, the latter part of the week things quickened.

I have spent the past week and half working on the rough draft of my final paper for my Ethics class. Yesterday, my paper, after submitting to the brilliant editorial knife of Charlotte Wenger, was sent off for the first round of comments and corrections! It feels so nice to have that almost done. I plan on starting on the second paper tomorrow. I continue to enjoy the research work I am doing.

The trustees of the London Mennonite Centre met here this weekend so there was a bustle of activity around the house. I helped Barbara, the hostess, out a little with meals as she needed. I really enjoyed meeting and chatting with the trustees. It has been a real gift getting to know such a wide variety of people in my travels in London and the Prague.

Saturday, after sending in my paper, I met a friend at Covent Gardens. This is a part in the city known for its live performers. The weather in London has been splendid since I arrived, and the afternoon was a great chance to see a new bit of London and celebrate finishing my paper.

Wood Green Mennonite Church, where I have been attending did not meet today. Instead, we were encouraged to visit other Anabaptist communities around London. This morning I met another member, Chris, at the train station and we headed to services at the Bruederhof community. However, two stops out, the train ran into problems and we had to return to the main station. So, we decided to take the Tube and bus to get there. But by the time we arrived, we were horribly late and decided not to go. Chris noticed on the map of the area that churches were listed. So we walked around for a spell trying to find one that had a service at 11. Walking a little further from the Tube, we found a Quaker meeting and, low and behold, they were gathering in 15 min. It was the first time either of us had attended a meeting, but we both enjoyed the chance to quietly reflect for an hour. And, in the end, we did accomplish what we came to do; attend and Anabaptist-related congregation.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. Peace.

FYI: The photo is of Westminster Abbey, NOT the Quaker meeting house. Just in case you were wondering...

Getting to know London

What a splendid week it has been! I feel very blessed. Every day this past week I wrote 1000 words for my ethics paper and have a rough draft that is almost ready to be sent to my professor for its first round of comments. Yay! Also, I have really enjoyed getting to know the staff and long term guests here at the London Mennonite Centre. They have helped me get acquainted with the city and welcomed me into their community warmly. Since the weather since my arrival here in London has been lovely I took Saturday to see some of the city's best sites.

I went on a free 3 hour walking tour of London where I saw such things as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. At the end of the tour I got

to ride on a double decker bus and sample some fish and chips. Yummy! I hope to see some more places this weekend and at some point explore the London's free museums. I'm excited to explore some more!

I'd appreciate your prayer for all those who are trying to travel but cannot due to the volcano. Because of this LMC is completely empty and so staff who have been on holiday cannot get back to work. Thank you for all your love and support. Shalom.

Merry Old England!

Greetings from London! I arrived safely from Prague after traveling all day Friday. I'm renting a room long term at the London Mennonite Centre. Earlier in the week I completed my outlines and talked with my professors about my papers. It was recommended that I condense some sections, which is much easier than adding information. I said goodbye to my friends Thursday evening with dinner at a pizzeria. Friday morning my friend, Hparat, took me to the airport and sent me on my way. The flight was good. I was excited to see the white cliffs of Dover as we flew in. I spent yesterday recovering from my travels and reading fiction for fun. Today I had lunch at LMC with members of the Wood Green Mennonite Church and then we all attended church together later in the afternoon. I look forward to connecting with a new congregation and getting to know new people. I'll start again on writing this week and hope to see some of the sights around London next weekend. Please pray for me as I am adjusting to London and as I am searching for a teaching job. Grace and peace to you all!

Easter Greetings and Goodbyes

Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!

Happy Easter to all of you. This blog marks my first without Lena and my last in the Czech Republic for a while. Lena is presently on a plane to South Korea where she and Eojin will be touring to promote their smashing CD. On Friday of this week I will be headed

to London, England until early June. This is unfourtunatly due to the fact that because of visa issues I need to leave mainland Europe before my tourist visa expires. I have enough days left on the visa to travel back to the Czech Republic when my family visits in June and to hand in my final papers. I will be staying at the London Mennonite Centre for the duration where I'll spend my time seeing a few sights and hammering out my final papers.

Speaking of which, I have gotten a lot done on them this week. I managed to put together one 2600 word outline on a 5000 page paper and am in the process of completing the second outline by this Wednesday. I will meet with both my professors before I leave to make sure I continue well on my way. While the papers are coming all splendidly, they have caused a mild amount of chaos in the apartment. My work has mushroomed out into most of the living space. But, oh well, it's a matter of creative necessity.

This morning I had the pleasure of attending an early morning worship service with my congregation, Sarka Valley Community Church. We walked around the small valley, read Scripture, and sang. Afterwards we shared brunch together. It is difficult to be away from family during this time. Especially when they are all down in Virginia and attending worship at Springdale. But I am blessed by my congregation here and the friends that I have made.

Please pray for me during my transition to London. I will be leaving a lot of wonderful friends behind who will not be around when I return. Making new connections in London will also be stretching. Thank you all so much for your prayers. I enjoy hearing from you all from time to time. Blessings and peace to you on this Easter day!

Viva La Boheme!

This post marks the last one that Lena and I will be posting together. Lena leaves on Tuesday morning for a brief stay in the States before returning to South Korea to tour and promote her new CD with Eojin. Consequently, our week has been filled with lots of reflection and goodbyes. The Northumbria Community from the UK led the campus in a weeklong set of prayers, worship, and lectures. For me, Regina, it was a step back from studying and refocus on God. Lena taught her last classes this week and her students sent her off with lots of chocolate. She will miss them greatly!

Saturday we went out on one last exursion with several of our friends to the fairy

tale village of Czechy Krumlov in the land of Bohemia. Despite the iffy weather, we had a wonderful day taking in the castle and other medeval buildings and gardens. Sunday evening our friend, Hparat, cooked our

group of friends a meal of traditional food from her country of Myanmar. Yum! We are so thankful to have been blessed with such amazing friends. Please pray for us during this time of transition. Now a short reflection from Lena:

I, Lena, have fully

enjoyed my time here and especially working with and getting to know the youth. They are a great group kids and we often have a lot of laughter and fun in our lessons.

This year, between Korea and Czech Republic, I have fully enjoyed getting to know the variety of people God has

brought my way. I feel so blessed to have made so many friends from many different cultures. We all have such different backgrounds but are all united in the body of Christ. "The 'body' is made up of many parts," this is a beautiful image that has been made more real for me. The "body" can be bigger than my family, my church, even my country; it stretches around the world. It is so encouraging to meet other Christians working towards the same goal. This year has challenged me in so many ways between the two cultures and I believe I have grown a lot and learned a lot about myself. But the most valuable thing for me has been seeing Christ in so many different forms and really learning that life is so much bigger than yourself. I still, of course, have not completely mastered this but it is something I daily try to work towards. God has been so good and faithful and I am excited to see what the future holds.

Kids, CATs, and a Challenge

With the farewell to my (Lena's) family I started another week of teaching. I believe this has been the best week of teaching yet. We had some really good sessions where the students seemed to overcome their shyness or reserve and open up more. We had lots of laughter during classes this week and have fully embraced the other form of communication which is: if neither the teacher or the student can seem to understand the other you draw pictures... which causes more laughter since I am no artist and none of them seem so inclined either. I starting working with them on a song that they will, hopefully, be able to perform for Easter. They want to show their hard work to the congregation. I especially love the evenings where I get to work on music with them. They love learning the songs and don't want to stop practicing when we run out of time. I will also admit that I fully appreciated their version of "Happy Birthday" they sang to me for my birthday. It was very special and made me feel loved.

Thursday I, Lena, once again, accompanied Pastor Gennadiy to Azil, the refugee camp. This time we split them up into two groups, a Russian speaking group and an English speaking group. I was, of course, in charge of the English speaking one. There was about six of us and it was a really good time of conversation and sharing of our faith. One of the women there has lived at this camp for a number of years and has had a hard life. However, she is so open and passionate about your faith. She feels that her mission is to reach out to the other refugees living there and share her faith and God's love with them. She doesn't know how long she will be there or what is next, but that is where God has her for now and that is her mission. I was challenged and encouraged by her. Instead of letting the hardships tear her down she used them to strengthen her relationship with God and although her living conditions are not ideal she chooses to use it as a witness. Her love and passion for Christ I will not soon forget.

Since this week was my birthday the CATs threw a pizza party for me on Saturday. Danny, the Italian, made the pizzas and they were fantastic. I "lost" count on how many pieces I actually ate after the fourth one. I can only console myself in the fact that the crust was very, very thin so it would take about four of those to, surely, make up one of American size pieces...right? I felt quite loved and blessed this year and it seemed as though my birthday lasted a whole week; since I got several little celebrations.

My (Regina's) week again revolved around reading and note taking. The topic for my papers are as follows. In "Anabaptists, Authority, and the Bible", I will be examining how Anabaptist hermeneutics (biblical interpretation method) can address the current state of Christianity in the United States. In my "Church and Social Ethics" class, I am studying the evolution of the Anabaptist/Mennonite peacemaking ethic based upon their history and hermeneutic. I have yet to read a book in my research that I have not enjoyed.

This morning in church I (Regina) was challenged by the message brought to us by a member of the Northumbria Community in the UK. He emphasized "right seat, fitting task, willing heart", or being present and feeling God's call were he has placed you at this moment. It challenged me to focus on the work that God is doing in me and through me while I am in the Czech Republic, instead of focusing on, and worrying about the future (i.e. what in the world I'm going to do after mid-June?) You can pray that I can be more attuned to what God is calling me to do during the remainder of my time in the Czech Republic. I pray that you all my find God were you have been placed. Thank you for your continued prayers and support! We appreciate them greatly.

A Visit

This week was a semi-vacation. We had the pleasure of having Lena's family around for the week. Lena took them to all the Prague sites, the Castle, Wenceslas Square, Old Town, and the Jewish Quarter. Regina read and took notes on the books that Leah so graciously brought from the EMU library. She did however, get a chance to spend a few days out with the Rissers. Along with the Prague sites, some of the group visited Karlstejn Castle outside the city. They were awestruck. We also celebrated Phil and Lena's birthdays on Friday night at a nice little Italian restaurant. The Italian food was great, but nothing can compare to Czech food, especially sausage. Just ask Jason. Saturday night Lena and I took Leah out for a nice dinner before reluctantly sending her back to school. Today, Sunday, is a wonderful relaxing end to the week. We're glad that we had this time with them and having this chance to share our lives in Prague with them. Next week, back to reality.

In sickness and in health...

In the promise of spring through sunshine and warmer weather I, Lena, always find excitement and rejuvenation. I also find that it comes hand in hand with my least favorite part... runny noses and laryngitis. I have new found appreciation for cold medicines and steaming cups of peppermint tea and the blessed relief they bring. As I look back on this week I find great humor in the fact that the week I am asked to help lead music, I lose my voice. But, that is the beauty of life and its many surprises.

This week I, Lena, continued using my music and culinary skills to serve the IBTS and Russian Baptist church communities. I joined two CAT students, who were leading chapel, to help with music. I also volunteered to help with coffee time every morning. To my great pleasure, I was told I could provide a freshly baked snack whenever I wanted; so, I promptly took advantage of that offer.

I have continued my English classes this week, however we only met once since the other days did not suit the students. For the first hour we met to sing together. They seem to thoroughly enjoy learning songs in English. I am hoping to find Russian translations so they can more fully understand the meaning of the songs. We then had a birthday celebration of very yummy cake and cookies and finished off the evening with an English lesson. It is always encouraging to hear a groan or an exclamation when I say, "That is all I have planned for this evening." The youth seem to genuinely want to speak English, its just difficult to connect what is learned in a school classroom to conversing. They keep telling the youth advisor

not to translate unless asked because they want to try and understand by themselves. It seems

these classes in the evenings are good because it gives the youth something to do and keeps them out of possible trouble. However, it also seems that maybe there are some complications with homework getting done so my classes have been shortened to three times a week. So, prayers could be used on how these youth can best manage their time. Also, how I can most effectively teach with only three weeks left. Time seems to be flying by.

As mentioned before, I was in the middle of a full blown seasonal cold by Thursday and had to take the weekend lighter. So, I missed the fun excursion in the snow to the Karlstejn Castle on Saturday. It looks like Winter is not quite ready to say goodbye just yet.

It has been a blessing living with Lena, but the downside is catching her cold symptoms. After taking the train 40 minutes outside Prague to view Karlstejn Castle, I,Regina, came down with a slight fever and head cold. Before that

however, I enjoyed the day with friends exploringthe castle which was built by Charles IV to guard the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire. Earlier in the week my activities included the important but slightly monotonous tasks of reading books and taking notes for my papers. I am finding lots of overlap between my two topics and in my sources which is great.

Lena's family arrives in a few hours and we are excited to spend the next week showing them our lives in Prague. Continue to pray for motivation both in researching and in my job search. Your prayers continue to be greatly appreciated.

And the Beat Goes On...

Greetings Blogosphere!

This week marks one month since we arrived in the Czech Republic. My, how time flies. It has been a week of highs and lows. Regina received some disappointing news about a job in the States, but also sorted out details to spend two months in London. Also, I am happy to report that by this time next week we will be enjoying the company of the Risser family. Lena's parents, two sisters, and brother-in-law are coming for a visit! In our excitement, things have been humming along nicely.

Regina has been reading extensively for both her papers. She has decided on the topic for her paper for the Church and Social Ethics. If you want to know, leave a comment and ask

:) Lena Teacher has had a busy week. She spends her mornings preparing to teach anywhere from 3-8 students a night. She also cooks with her students and teaches them praise and worship songs in English. In fact, she heard several of them singing the song they had just learned on the Metro. She grinned from ear to ear. Another task Lena is taking up this week is helping the school hostess, Yulia, out with our daily coffee time. It gives her a reason to bake, but I don't think she is excited about it at all. ;) We continue to enjoy working with Youth Praha on Friday evenings. This week we helped to organize the games. Our interaction with the IBTS community continues as well. Lena sang in chapel this week and Regina continues to attend a weekly Bible study. We have been greatly blessed here.

This weekend, while Regina worked on job stuff, Lena and our friend Maryia went exploring Prague on a gorgeous sunny day. They viewed the Castle, Lesser Town, and

reviewed Old Town Prague. They had a blast staying out the entire afternoon. Sunday found us visiting the International Church of Prague with some friends. Since then, we've been enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon. Lots of love to all of you back home. Thank you for your prayers.

English, music and research

This week marked the start of English conversation classes and the discovery of Lena's music and culinary abilities. Originally, the Russian Baptist church was only planning on English classes; however, as soon as the youth advisor discovered Lena's love of music and cooking she quickly incorporated them into the schedule. Lena will be teaching English on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and on Wednesdays she will help the youth with their singing and teach English contemporary christian songs. At some point there will be a baking and movie night. She fully plans on treating the youth to some home made doughnuts when she discovered they don't really get them here. So far, the class attendance consist of students anywhere from 3-12. We'll see if the numbers plateau out as the weeks go by. Regina has a rough thesis for her first paper and will have a loose outline by the end of the week. She is also reading heavily for her Church and Social Ethics class.

We have continued getting to know the CAT students with Regina going to the Bible studies on Tuesday nights and both of us working with Youth Praha on Friday nights. Our weekends are usually filled with exploring the city and spending time with the friends we have made at IBTS. This weekend we explored the Jewish quarter. Back in the 13th century Jews were banned only to that part of the city. The cemetery is known as being one of the most remarkable ones in Europe as there are roughly 12,000 tombstones and as many if not more than 100,000 burials. On a more exciting note, we did get to, finally, eat some traditional Czech food. Somehow by the end of the ordering process I, Lena, ended up with a huge hunk

of pork all to myself. Which was quite tasty but way too much meat! Regina made the smarter order of Czech pancakes made out of onions, sauerkraut and sausage. Very tasty!!

We are really growing to love Prague and the European culture. We never know what God is going to bring our way or what doors he will open. We have and are learning to be flexible, vulnerable, and open to whatever is asked of us. Please continue to keep us in your prayers! God bless you all! :)

New Friends and Full Stomachs

Literally, as we write this we are still full from an amazing homemade Armenian meal that we had this evening. This experience was courtesy of Pastor Gennadiy's friends at the Russian Baptist church plant in Brno. We regret not taking our camera to help convey the wide array of food we enjoyed. The four hours we spent in the car were totally worth the relationships we made and the hospitality that was shown to us.

The previous evening found us in the living room of a youth worker in Pastor Gennadiy's church. Every Saturday night they have a get together where they study the Bible and reflect. The topic of the evening was Baptist and Anabaptist history and faith stories. Once again we were grateful to have some friends to translate for us from Russian into English.

Friday night we were invited by CAT (Certificate of Applied Theology) students at IBTS to participate in the Youth Praha (Prague) meeting that occurs in the campus chapel every week. About 40 international middle and high school students gathered to hear the Word, worship, and play games. Youth Praha is organized by the International Church of Prague and we hope to get more involved with this program in the future. We also connected with the CAT students and several expats working with the church which was a great opportunity to broaden our social circle. We're feeling very blessed with all the relationships we are building.

In the middle of the week (Wednesday), Lena left with Pastor Gennadiy and three other young adults to visit Azil, a refugee camp. Once a month Pastor Gennadiy visits the camp to share the Gospel, hold discussions and answer questions. The refugees living there are from all over, from Morocco to Ukraine. The sessions are held in Russian, however, there are English speaking refugees that occasionally attend; so, Gennadiy or one of the other young adults will translate from Russian to English. During this visit I, Lena, was able to share my testimony and pray for a man who has lost his whole family and is searching for contentment and joy in this life. I was truly blessed through this experience and was stretched all around.

Regina began her Church and Social Ethics class this week and ended the intensive portion of her Baptist/Anabaptist history class. Her main focus now is reading and formulating theses to shape into her final papers. She has enjoyed accompanying Lena on adventures and looks forward to the many to come. We continue to covet your prayers and support.

Love always (On this Valentines' Day), Regina and Lena

Charles and the Russians

As we enter into our second full week of cultural adaptation we are once again looking back at our lack of travel experience...and surprise success. It is amazing the ways God provides for us and the people He brings into our lives and how the best laid birthday plans sometimes fail...only to exceed expectations in the end. We, once again, started the weekend off with an excursion into the city. This weekend our destination was Charles Bridge and a bite to eat. After crossing the historic bridge and satisfying our cravings for carbs in the form of bagels and drip coffee, we admired the architectural beauty of Prague's cultural history. Arriving home after a busy day, we decided to plan out fun events for Regina's birthday on Sunday. Our plans, however, were altered quite a bit after calling Paster Gennadiy, the contact we are working with. Consequently, we found out church does not start till 3 pm and would go to at least 7 pm. Promptly changing our plans to fit the new schedule, we decided to celebrate Regina's birthday in the form of a brunch at the expat bookstore and cafe, The Globe. After a delicious meal of blueberry pancakes, eggs, bacon and, of course, coffee we prepared to meet the congregation we would be interacting with. The church is Czech Brethren composed primarily of Russian and former Soviet bloc immigrants. The services are conducted in Russian with an adult service and a youth service. We met some very nice young adults that spoke English and translated for us. It was exciting to meet more people and continue building relationships. I (Regina) am continually amazed at the universality of the Lord's Supper. It was a blessing to share the Bread and Cup with our Russian brothers and sisters.

After the service ended the church held their annual meeting. Two hours later, we found ourselves sitting in a McDonald's eating chicken nuggets and learning all about Russia from two young adults. It was a great evening spent learning about each other's cultures and digging play dough out of a Scooby-Doo mummy. Needless to say, there was a lot of laughter shared all around. It was a wonderful, if unexpected, birthday celebration.

Finally, one of the activities Lena will be leading during her time here is language study with the youth three times a week. She will be brushing off some of her English conversation techniques from Korea for these classes. Regina is knee deep in her intensives and is enjoying studying Anabaptism and reading Stuart Murray's "Post-Christendom" for her final thesis. As always, prayers are appreciated and felt. Thanks for your support.

Adventures in Prague

Hello All!

Yesterday Lena and I got a crash course in Prague's public transportation system. We took the bus the wrong direction and had to turn around at the cost of 26 Kc. After arriving in Old Town Prague we saw some tourist sights that included the famous Astronomical Clock, the Jan Huss statue, as well as St. Wenceslas Square. However, our biggest triumph of the day was grocery shopping for the first time...in Czech. We had to go by sight. Don't ask us what percentage of milk we purchased or whether the flour we bought was wheat or enriched. Also, we had to purchase in kilos. It was an adventure, but mostly a success. Sbohem přátelé! (Goodbye friends)

Take to The World

My Pandora radio has been getting a lot of use since I've been getting things ready for Prague this week. While listening the song "Take to the World" by Derek Webb came on and its lyrics caught my attention:

Go in peace to love and to serve
Let your ears ring long with what you have heard
May the bread on your tongue
Leave a trail of crumbs
To lead the hungry back to the place that you are from

[Chorus]
And take to the world this love, this hope and faith
Take to the world this rare, relentless grace
And like the three in one
Know you must become what you want to save
‘Cause that’s still the way
He takes to the world

Go, and go far
Take light deep in the dark
Believe what’s true
He uses all, even you
May the bread on your tongue leave a trail of crumbs
To lead the hungry back to the place you are from

[Chorus x2]

It is my prayer that I am able to embody these words

during my time in the Czech Republic.

I ask that it be your prayer too.

Peace,

RW

Geography Quiz #1

Alright, my awesome students here is your first geography quiz. It's a review of latitude and longitude. To answer this question try finding it on a map first and then check Google Earth. I'll post the answer in a few days. Best of luck!

Where is this?

50°6'21.3"N, 14°21'7.75"E

Training and Departure Date

Lena and I had a blessed time training at HDC. It was a time of great challenge and growth, for which we are both thankful. Plus, we met some awesome people who are planning to work in Peru. It was a pleasure getting to know them. And drumroll please...we finally have a departure date, January 27! Ahh! Right now I am soaking in the last moments with my friends in Virginia. Let the countdown begin...13 days.

Preparations

After many weeks of waiting on papers to apply for my student visa I have decided to go on a tourist visa instead. Lena and I begin training on Sunday evening and it lasts through Tuesday. Then its on to VA to say goodbye to our friends. I'm so excited! :)