The Day We Got Our Visas

You know those days....the ones when you're thinking, "Some day I'll look back on this and laugh."  The day we got our visas was one of those days.

It all started when my alarm went off at 4:30 in order for us to catch the bus by 5:30....oh wait.  That's where the problems began...my alarm didn't go off.  So, Leah woke me up just before 5:00 and we sprinted to the bus station and made it just in time.  We got on our bus and were on our way.  We knew things weren't going well when it started pouring down rain and the bus had to slow down considerably.  Our feeling was right, because at the time when we were supposed to be in the next city getting on the next bus, we were nowhere near a city of any sort. So, we were on to plan B: stay on the bus to the next city and catch the next bus there....which would have worked except for the fact that we missed that bus too.  Sooo...catch the next train in the next city.  Yep.  Missed that too.  The problem is that the Czech embassy in Slovakia is only open for a 30 MINUTE window in which you can get your visa.  At this point, the last train we could catch was getting into Bratislava, Slovakia 15 minutes to 2PM, which was when the embassy closed.  So, we got off our train, ran to a taxi and made it to the embassy at 2:15.  By God's mercy, Autumn (my other roommate) was there already and had stalled them just enough for us to get in.  Also, the lady that was working that day was "the nice one" and she let us in even though it was past time.  Those two things alone were HUGE ways that God reminded us of His perfect control over the situation.  

So...we got to Bratislava, spent about 15 minutes picking up our visas and got back on the train for 7 more hours.  We made our first train switch with no hold-ups.  But, our train to Prague was late and we had a bus to catch and it was the very LAST bus out of Prague that night.  We jumped off the train, pushed through the crowds, ran to the metro, and ran to the bus station.  We missed the bus by 2 minutes.  After expressing our frustration and disappointment, we sat there in silence, completely unsure about what to do. We searched every bus and train out of Prague that night and nothing could get us home before 4 or 5 AM.  Thankfully, we found someone who could drive us home.  So, we finally made it home at 11PM.  I have to say that this one of the longest,  most eventful days of my life and yet I wouldn't trade it for anything and here's why:

1) I got to spend some much-needed time with Leah and Autumn, who I won't be seeing much more of now that the summer is here and I will be heading back to the states at the end of summer.

2) In situations when you want to cry, you can choose to laugh instead and it makes things SO much easier and more enjoyable.

3) We were dependent upon God and therefore prayerful and sensitive to every small blessing along the way.  

4) We have some great memories that we won't forget.  Here are some pictures to show you how we felt at the end of the day:

                                This is how we felt about the fact that we got our visas!!!!
                                       This is us trying to be happy...really, we were trying!
       But, to be honest, this is how we felt at the end of the day....and our adventure wasn't even                                                                                     over yet!

So, there you have it!  There is never a dull moment when you are traveling across the country.  I know all of this makes you wish you could be here too. :)

The Officially Legal with a Visa girl,

Emily   

Train Rides and the Kingdom of God

Apparently, God has a purpose in having me travel every weekend.  Hmmm....should have seen that one coming, eh?  He's shown me that in the fact that my traveling times have provided some great opportunities for the gospel and opportunities for me to grow...a LOT.  Let me share with you another example of how God has done this.

I was on my weekly trip from Strakonice to Plzen to Cheb.  I pretty much have this journey "down"--where my train stops, which platform to go to, etc.  Well, this time God through a little surprise in there for me--and I'm so glad He did!  When I got on the first train, the ticket-checker guy started saying stuff to me in Czech--and I had absolutely no clue what he was saying.  But, he kept walking by and I just made sure that I was constantly on guard for what was going on.  I got to Plzen safely and went to my next train.  Again, this time a woman, started telling me something in Czech.  This time I could understand enough to know that I needed to get off the train, get on a bus, and then get back on the train.  What I didn't understand was where exactly these events were supposed to take place.  So, I sat there thinking to myself, "Should I just sit here and pretend like I know what is going on?"  I was in a little room with 3 teenage-ish people and so I  knew that at least one of them was bound to speak some English because they all learn it in school.  So, after much debating in my mind, I went for it: "Do any of you speak English?"  One of them replied (in Czech) that he understood a little bit, but not very much and didn't speak as much as he understood...I stopped him in the middle of his explanation and asked him one simple question: "What am I supposed to do?" :)  I knew that the lady had told him that he was supposed to do the same thing as me, so I figured he could help me out.  And he did!  Praise the Lord.  Well, that's only the beginning.

I followed my new friend (whose name I never learned) to the bus.  We got on the bus and sat there in silence.  We finally began talking (in his very broken english and my very broken Czech).  He started asking me questions about what I was doing here (as most people do when they see an American hanging out in the Czech Republic in the middle of the year).  So, I began to tell him what I'm doing here in Czech.  "So, you believe in God?" he asked.  "Yes, I do."  He got a smirk on his face, "I don't."  He was probably thinking the conversation would end there.  But, I wanted to know more.  So, I began to ask him more questions...about creation, purpose, morality, etc.  He responded to nearly every question with either "I don't know" or "I never think about it."  When our bus finally came to a stop, he was staying in that city and I had to get on the next train.  At first, I was so incredibly discouraged.  But, as I sat on the next train to Cheb, there are a few things I reflected upon:

1) I praised God for my salvation.  I deserve to be just as confused and hopeless as this guy.  There is no reason why God should look upon me with mercy, or show me my need for a Savior, or choose to call me from darkness to light.  I thought of Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 4:3-6: 

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.  In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God......For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

It became so much more clear to me in that moment, that if it weren't for God's light that shone in my heart, I would be walking in the same darkness.  Praise God that He lifted the veil that was over my mind so that I could see Him!  

2) There are those who plant, those who water, but only God causes growth.  Paul reminded the church at Corinth that everyone involved in the "process" of making disciples are merely tools of God.  We are just merely people who can help, but it's God who truly changes people.  "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives growth." (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)  I prayed then and continue to pray for this young man that there was some seed planted in his heart, no matter how small or big and that this seed would be watered by others who come into his life.  I may never see him again, but I pray that there is someone who God will use to cultivate these thoughts and that more than anything, God would cause growth for He is the only One that can.

3) There will be some who simply will not believe.  Sometimes in my mind, I get so excited and fired up and think that everyone will be saved.  But, it's not true.  There will be some who will reject Christ.  I don't know who those people are, and I'm definitely not saying that I think this guy is one of them.  But, his hardness of heart was a good reminder for me.  I thought of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. The rich man went to hell and begged and begged even for just a drop of water to quench his thirst. He begged to return to earth even for just a moment to warn his family that they didn't want to come to the place he was in.  But, Abraham reminded him that they had Moses and the prophets and if they chose to not believe them, then they wouldn't even believe someone raised from the dead.   There will be some who reject Christ and can't be convinced otherwise, no matter how many times they hear the Truth.  And it's in realizations like these that we have to step back, cover our mouths, and say "God, your ways and thoughts are higher than mine and I simply have to trust that you are limitless in your grace, but also perfect in your justice."  

4) God will accomplish His purposes on this earth.  I come back to the promise of Habakkuk 2:14 often: "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."  Even though at times, it feels so hopeless and it's so hard to see such a hardened heart, this promise will be fulfilled on this earth--and what a glorious day it will be!  

  

So, there you have it!  God ordains everything perfectly--even the trains we ride on!  Praise God that He re-awakens longings and promises within our souls and that He uses fools like us to further His Kingdom on this earth.  We are nothing, but He is the God who grows and I praise Him for that!  

Rejoicing in the God of my salvation,

Emily 

When God proves His love through discipline...

"He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."  -Hebrews 12:10b-11

I'm so thankful that the God of the universe wants you and me to share in his holiness.  It's really an incredible thought, isn't it?  The problem is that God is more concerned with our holiness than our happiness, so we usually don't walk the path of becoming holy with excitement most of the time.  But, look at the promise He's given us in Hebrews--if we can just look past the immediate for a moment, we can see the amazing harvest that will come as a result of the painful discipline of the Lord.  Well, I am still learning what it means to be trained by that painful process.  Here's a perfect example of that.  

Last week was a week that I had been looking forward to for a very long time--Josiah Venture ladies' conference.  Spending an entire week with all of the women of JV was something I knew would teach me and stretch me so much.  Well, the week came and went and I did learn a ton, but not in the way that I had expected to learn everything.  Instead of spending the week deep in conversation with missionary women from all over eastern Europe, I spent the week shivering in bed with a fever, sore throat, runny nose and a painful cough.  I was stretched in so many uncomfortable ways and God chose to put me in a quiet, lifeless room on my back to let me know there were some things He wanted me to hear.  So--I listened.  I'll admit, not willingly at first.  I fought it.  I was upset that He chose the very week of the conference to make me so sick.  But, finally, the Spirit opened up my heart to simply listen.  

First, He helped me to realize that what was happening to me was God's answer to one of the prayers that I had been praying--for God to break me and humble me and make me depend on Him and not myself.  When you can hardly get out of bed each day, it's a very harsh reality that you are dependent upon Someone far greater than you.  Especially in ministry, I had become so self-sufficient (or so I thought) and was trying to do it all on my own.  So, at the conference as I laid in bed for 2 days straight and after I had made it clear that I wasn't happy--I surrendered. I finally gave it all over to Him--all my goals, fears, plans, all of myself--and it couldn't have been more liberating.  

Secondly, He revealed more of my sin to me and showed me that having me in bed, without energy and without a voice was His gracious way of keeping me from even more of that sin.  Something that has been a constant battle for me is fear of man, trying to win the approval of others, basing my life off of what people think of me.  Coming into the conference with tons of women who were JV missionaries and who I had heard so many amazing things about made me enter into the conference with hesitation and this feeling like I had to somehow "prove" myself to them.  Hmm....that's not very easy to do when you can't talk (literally--I even tried really hard to), and when your energy and your laugh and everything that makes you "you" is taken away.  But, praise God that He did!  Because He finally stopped me in my tracks and said, "Emily, stop!  Stop living for the people around you and live for me.  Look for my approval, live for my glory and live to bring a smile to my face.  Find your identity in me and in who you are in me...not who you are in the opinions of the people around you."  

Praise God that He loves us enough to strip us of our health and energy and make us completely weak and needy so that He can draw us back to where we need to be.  Praise God that He disciplines those He loves because, let's face it, I was in need of a "spiritual spanking", if you will.  

So now, I am entering into new ministries and new adventures and I'm entering them with a new focus--Lord, am I pleasing you?  Am I bringing you glory?  People could say a whole lot of nice things, or a whole lot of critical things, or a whole lot of nothing--but if you are pleased, then I will keep going.  

Thankful to be Disciplined by His love,

Emily

  

My 21st Birthday

I got to celebrate my 21st birthday with my friends in Cheb (pronounced Heb with some phlegm in the throat).  They totally surprised me and had the youth group room decorated with balloons and everything!  It was great!  Here are some pictures for you to enjoy:  

                 The beautiful flowers from my dad and brother.

The youth group presenting me with flowers from my dad and brother.
                 SURPRISE!!!
                         The whole gang.
    SOOO happy to see all of my friends!!!!

                      My very own Czech Bible!

                             Beautiful girls! 

      Vlasta and Sandra--two of the girls from the girls group.

My favorite Czech cake (honey cake) and my first Czech Bible!
Andy and Ester--some of the sweet girls in the youth group.  

So there you have it!  That was what my special day was like!  I couldn't imagine a 

better 21st birthday.    

Lifting Veils

“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.  But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways.  We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.  In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 

-2 Corinthians 4:1-6

 

One of my favorite things to do is to ask students that know Christ when and how they came to know Him as their personal Savior.  One reason is because their faces light up every time and they can’t wait to share what God has done in their lives.  It’s also always an exciting thing to hear about the power of the gospel at work in the lives of people.  So, here are a few examples of souls that have been won and are experiencing new life in Christ:

 

Magda grew up in the Catholic Church.  Her dad passed away when she was 7 years old and her mom took her to the Catholic Church every Sunday.  Magda thought that this was all that Christianity or church meant—she went out of obligation and to honor her mom, not because she had any desire on her own.  One of her classmates invited her to church one week.  In Magda’s own words, her response was, “Are you kidding me?  You actually enjoy going to church and even like it enough to invite a friend?”  It took Magda’s friend some coaxing before Magda finally agreed to go.  She was amazed at what church was like—a band that played fast songs in church?  People talking and laughing and enjoying themselves in Church?  This was a totally different experience for Magda but it was enough for her to know that there was something much different about this church.  It wasn’t just a building with extravagant decorations—these people had something that she didn’t.  Magda accepted Christ after only a few months of attending this church.  Her next “task” was to convince her mom to come to church.  She finally attended this church for the first time a few months ago.  Immediately, she asked Magda what was different about this church than the Catholic Church.  Magda was glad to tell her, and told me with the same huge smile on her face, “Mom, at the Catholic Church, Jesus is hanging on the cross and you are worshipping someone who is dead.  But at our church, Jesus Christ is alive!”

 

Tereza heard the gospel for the first time 7 years ago.  Since that time, all of her Christian friends have been praying for her and waiting for an opportunity to lead Tereza to Christ.  After meeting a friend for coffee a few months ago, Tereza finally decided that she didn’t want to wait any longer—she finally surrendered her life to Christ.  God lifted the veil that covered her eyes and she was able to see the light of the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ!  God’s timing, as we know, is absolutely perfect.  Not even a month after she came to know Christ, her dad was hospitalized and in a coma.  Tereza visited him every single day, prayed for him and read God’s Word to him.  Though everyone tried to tell her he couldn’t hear her, Tereza was convinced that God’s Word was still piercing his heart.  When he finally woke up, she began talking to him and he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior!  He is still in the hospital and likely won’t make it out, but now he will be going HOME to meet his Savior!

 

Finally, I want to tell you about a beautiful story that is continuing to unfold.  Many of you know Martin and know that we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of seeing the great things God will do through this young man.  For those of you who don’t know him, I will tell you briefly about what God has done in His life.  Martin grew up in an Atheistic family—not even any mention of God or a Creator.  He was a firm believer in Evolution and a huge advocate of it.  Even though his family lived close enough to the church that, in Martin’s own words, he could spit out his window and it would hit the church—and it’s absolutely true!  But still, Martin had no knowledge of who God was or that He wanted to have a relationship with Martin.  Finally, after being pursued and loved by some of the students in the youth group, God pulled Martin to himself.  There’s so many things God has done since that time through Martin—like bringing his older brother Kaja to Christ, sharing his testimony with his entire class, multiple classmates accepting Christ, and Martin leading seminars disproving Evolution and giving evidence of a Creator.  Well, last night, we were at a Czech graduation ball.  It was loud, most of the people there were completely drunk, and I didn’t think it was possible to have a serious conversation of any sort.  Martin came over to me and said, “Well, someone from my school just came over to me and told me he heard that I was a believer and then he asked me to tell him about it.”  I was amazed—some kid just came up to you in this hot, smoke-filled building with drunk guys and half-dressed girls and asked you to tell him about your relationship with Jesus Christ?  Martin didn’t seem too surprised though—“It’s normal for me.  It happens all the time.” Today, Martin and I were talking and the same kid who was completely rejecting Christ only 5 years ago was sitting in front of me telling me that he wants to study Theology so he can teach it to others.

 

When Jesus Christ is proclaimed, God can lift veils that seem to be much too dark to ever have light shine through them.  It’s so easy to begin to focus on all of the people in our lives that still don’t know Christ and begin to lose heart.  But, I believe more and more every single day that God can change any heart.  Often times, it’s the absolute last person we would expect.  Think about Ananias’ response in Acts 9 when the Lord told him to go and heal Saul—“Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.”  The last thing he wanted to do was go and help this man who had spent his entire life murdering anyone who followed Christ.  But, how did the Lord respond? “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine…”  God’s plan for the redemption of His people is far greater than anything we could ever fathom.  He could bring all of these people to Himself on His own—and yet, He chooses to use people like you and me.  Our only response—even when He tells us to love someone and pray for them for 7 years with seemingly no fruit for our labor—is to say, “Yes, Lord.  I believe your gospel is powerful enough to change any heart.”

 

Praise God that He is the One that lifts veils and not us.  Praise God that He could lift those veils all on His own and yet He chooses to use us as His instruments.  Praise God for people like Magda, Tereza, and Martin whose lives have been transformed by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And PRAISE GOD that He has shone into my heart and your heart so that we can see the light of the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Because He has shone in my heart,

Emily

My Time in Pictures

They're happy--really--but they just don't smile as big as Americans. :)
Evicka and Maruska--some of the sweet girls in the youth group.

My first weekend in Cheb with some of the youth group.
Last summer Vlasta and I bought the same shirt that says, "Love Never Dies."  We both wore it on the day we knew we would see each other without even planning it! 
Moje Vlastinka! (My little Vlasta) :) 
The sweetest emo kids you could ever meet: Naomi, Petr, Martin, Martin
Leah with some of the Strakonice girls: Pavlina, Zuzka, Sabca, Kakuse, Evicka

Saving Power

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."  Romans 1:16

I saw the truth of this verse on the train last week.  I was sitting on a train ride from Plzen to Cheb, where I will be traveling every weekend.  I was still adjusting to life in Czech, trying to let the reality that I was really here sink in deep into my heart. I was listening to a Francis Chan sermon about courage in Spiritual things, not merely physical things.  One of the specific things he mentioned was boldness in sharing the gospel.  I was sitting on the train in a cabin with 5 other women.  All but one got off at the same stop, leaving only one other woman and myself.  I turned off my iPod, answered a phone call from my friend, and sat there in silence with the woman.  

I could tell that her ears perked up when she heard me speaking in English.  So, I began conversation with her.  She assured me that her Czech wasn't good and it was okay to speak English.  I assured her that I didn't speak Czech anyways, and we began talking.  

She explained where she was going, where she was coming from, and what she did for a living.  She was from Germany, working in Austria, and heading back to Germany for the weekend.  She then began to ask me questions about why I was here.  She was surprised to learn that I was an American and was very interested to know why I would leave my family and be away from home for so long by myself.  So, I was glad to tell her. :)

You know those conversations where you immediately know that God is opening a door for the gospel?  This was definitely one of those.  It didn't take but 5 minutes for me to know (especially since I had just finished listening to a sermon on boldness) that God had placed this woman and I together on the train for a reason.  

The conversation quickly became focused on religion and each of our beliefs.  She believed that we can each find our own path to God.  That the mormon is just as right about what they believe as the Buddhist and the Catholic.  She then asked me if I believed the same.  "I don't believe that...but here's what I believe."  

I explained what sets "Christianity" apart from every other "religion" : Jesus Christ.  I explained that all other religions are so focused on human effort and striving, but that if Jesus Christ is who He says He is and did what He said He did, then no effort on my part is "good enough" for me to earn my salvation. Jesus Christ is our only hope for salvation and freedom from our sin. I don't really remember everything I said in that conversation, but it was so clear that God was speaking through me to share His truth with my new friend.  She asked about my experience with following Christ, when I made the decision to have a relationship with Him, and how I kept believing even when I didn't understand some things.  I shared with her the tangible difference that Christ has made in my life, the evidence that the Holy Spirit was living and working in me.

Tears began rolling down her face.  "I want to believe.  Some days I do, some days I don't.  Why?  Do you know why?  Why can't I just believe?"  

I shared with her that even the disciples, who walked with Jesus, saw His power firsthand--even they had moments of doubt and disbelief.  But I told her to pray--as the father did who wanted his son to be healed--"I believe, help me in my unbelief."  I told her that even those who do have a relationship with Christ have moments of doubt or confusion--but, we the Holy Spirit assures us of who we are in Christ.  So, I told her to pray.  Pray that God would give her the belief she can't have on her own.  Pray that He would make all those doubts be cleared so she can see with new eyes.  

And then, our train came to a halt.  She had to catch the next train on to Germany.  I had to meet my friends who were waiting for me.  So, we exchanged emails.  She wanted to continue the conversation and even wanted to know if there was some way we could meet together.  

This is why I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  There is no better news.  What could be more liberating and life-giving than knowing that your sins are paid for and that you no longer stand before a perfect and holy God condemned, but forgiven?  It is the power of God for salvation.  God's power was working in this woman's heart to speak a truth to her heart that she had never heard before.  

Please keep praying for my friend.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to work in her heart.  Pray that I would be faithful in maintaining this friendship and that she would see Jesus Christ in me.  

Completely Unashamed,

Emily