Category: Czech Republic

Every post I wrote while we lived overseas.

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365 Czech Republic

Training and Painting Pumpkins

Training and Chatting (11/1/14)

Saturdays are usually are rest day and we enjoy a big breakfast as a family (often that’s Swedish pancakes). However, today I was attending some training with the international team at Josiah Venture (JV). The training was led by Steve Patty (brother to Dave Patty, president of JV) and focused on how to do research for evaluating the effectiveness of a ministry. That might sound like a mouthful, but it was very insightful, helpful, and instructive. Essentially, Steve was trying to put into our hands the tools to evaluate how ministries are doing by asking the right questions and being able to discern through what kind of data to collect and what kind of data is actually going to be helpful in the actual evaluation. For those on the international team this is a great tool for evaluating all the different ministries that JV facilitates. Mostly I appreciated Steve’s focus on how to as ask questions and what categories different types of questions go in. All in all I thought it was a great morning and am thankful for JV’s commitment to continue to build up and train it’s staff and leadership.

Yesterday I mentioned that I was having a sharp pain in my side for most of the day. I didn’t sleep great last night, but it did feel a little better this morning as the pain had mostly subsided. A lot of people were asking me about it at the training this morning and I was still feeling some discomfort, but not like yesterday. Hopefully it was just a one day thing, but who knows? My takeaway right now is it’s helped me think and talk about where exactly I would go to see a doctor and what to do in a more emergency situation. I still have questions about that process, but at least it got me talking to other people and allowed me to get a little insight in to just how that works over here.

Painting Pumpkins (11/1/14)

While I was at the training this morning, Bethany and the kids decided to pain the pumpkin we got a while back. She gave them each half of the pumpkin to decorate. Titus painted a face that had pointy teeth and Avery just went for full coverage. The kids told me all about it when I got home today, and here’s a few photos of the fun (one above, two below).

Painting Pumpkins (11/1/14)

Painting Pumpkins (11/1/14)

We had homemade pizza for dinner which I thought turned out great! On one of the two pizzas we baked we used spicy BBQ sauce and topped it with bacon and mushrooms and it was delicious. After dinner we video chatted with Bethany’s parents and her grandmother (shown below). The kids are always so excited to see family, even if it’s over the computer. As always, I’m thankful for the time we get to connect with family.

Training and Chatting (11/1/14)

That’s all for today. Time to hit the hay. I rhymed.

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365 Christianity

Candy, A Little Pain, and Reformation Day

At this moment I am pretty bummed out. I’m sitting here in an empty house and my family is at our friend’s house just enjoying some fun together for the evening. Czech doesn’t celebrate Halloween, which I’m actually very thankful for, but our American friends here decided to do a little mini thing at their house. They have a three story house here in Czech and I think they were planning on doing different activities with the kids on each floor. I guess I’ll find out the details when they get back home. So wait, why aren’t you there? Good question.

From about noon today until now I’ve had a very weird pain at the bottom of my ribs (on my left side). This afternoon it was really bad and I thought maybe it was my stomach so I got some lunch. Nothing changed. I came from a little earlier today and I was still really uncomfortable and it was almost like my back was out of whack or something, but it was affecting my rib. I have no clue, but no matter what position I sit, stand, or even lay down, I’m still feeling a pain there. It has subsided a little bit, but it has had me a little freaked out tonight. Even as I type I’m feeling a little bit of a sharp pain there. I’ve searched around online for any kind of answers, but nothing seems really accurate. Tylenol has helped a little, but it’s weird that it has been going on for quite a while now. Hopefully it’s nothing serious because I don’t know what would be more painful: the pain in my side or trying to figure how to see a doctor in the Czech Republic.

While many will celebrate Halloween today, the bigger celebration should be that of Reformation Day. That day when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church in Wittenburg, Germany, protesting the sale of indulgences and thus igniting the Reformation. In the above Tweet that I sent out this afternoon, I quote Martin Luther talking about another man, John Huss. Huss, who we’ve written about before, is considered a pre-reformation reformer who wrote about similar issues with the Catholic church during his life time as a preacher here in Czech. The only difference really between him and Luther is about a century of time. As a preacher in Prague, Huss, like Luther after him, bravely stood for the Truth of the Scripture. I don’t want to take away from Luther’s bold faith in the face of the Catholic church, but it’s interesting that Luther considered Huss a hero of his (as the quote above reveals). Other things I’ve read talk about Luther going through the writings of Huss and saying, “I was overwhelmed with astonishment. I could not understand for what cause they had burnt so great a man, who explained the Scriptures with so much gravity and skill.” What he means by “burnt” there is a reference to Huss’ martyrdom when he was burned at the stake.

More than anything, I’m thankful for men like John Huss and Martin Luther who boldly defended the Truth and faith in Christ amidst great opposition. Reading about them is like reading the book of Acts and seeing the courage and faith of the Apostles in the early church. We have much to be thankful for in all of these men. I’m reminded of Acts 13:36, “David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers.” David, the Apostles, Huss, and Luther served the purpose of God in their generations, and then they died. Now the question is this: will I serve the purpose of God in my generation? My prayer to that end is simple: Christ, make it so.

P.S. The family just came home. Here’s a few photos Bethany got of the festivities tonight.

Four on a couch.

Candy Night (10/31/14)

The next two are of the kids playing a little bean bag toss game.

Candy Night (10/31/14)

Candy Night (10/31/14)

The kids did trick or treating in the hallway while the adults were inside each room with a bowl of candy.

Candy Night (10/31/14)

Candy Night (10/31/14)

Candy Night (10/31/14)

And for good measure here’s one I got of Avery before they left tonight.

Playing Dress Up (10/31/14)

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365 Czech Republic

Friends and Stickers

The day started early with one of Titus’ friends coming over for the first half of the day. Beni showed up a little before 8:00am and he and Titus had a ton of fun playing together. Linda, Beni’s grandma, has been taking care of Beni and his brother Caleb for the past ten days or so while their parents have been in Israel. Today Linda had to go to the Foreign Police because she’s been have issues with her visa, so Bethany asked if she could help watch the boys and hopefully help Linda focus on that. Since Caleb had school today, Beni was the only one who came, but of course Titus thought this was a wonderful idea and even when I got home this afternoon he was still talking about how much fun he and Beni had playing outside and being together.

Stickers (10/30/14)

A lot of what I do for Josiah Venture (JV) is really fun, but one of my most recent projects is a little extra special. Right now JV has people across the United States on what we call the recruiting tour. Our staff goes around to a lot of different Christian colleges talking about Josiah Venture and recruiting students to come over for the summer and do an internship. My team was asked to help create materials that could be used while on the tour and one of our ideas were these 4×4″ stickers that could be passed out to students on campus (shown above). Along with the stickers is a card (shown far left) that has some additional information and ways they can connect with us further and apply. What I love about the stickers though is that they are just bits of Scripture that students can stick up in their dorm or wherever they want and hopefully be reminded about what God is doing over here and around the globe.

Bethany and I worked with college students for four years in our church before coming here and at first I really didn’t like. Quite honestly, I loved working with high schoolers because they seemed more open to change than I thought college students were. But after a while I realized that college students are at such a key part of their lives where they are going to make crucial decisions about friends, jobs, churches, missions, etc. that will effect them for a very long time. During that time they need a lot of help, training, discipleship, and mentoring. Obviously a sticker isn’t going to magically make someone want to do missions, but it’s about the conversation that happens when our staff hands that person a sticker and invites them to join us in the work going on over here. There are a tons of needs here, especially in the summer months, and I hope that these little pieces of Scripture and the conversations that go with them will be a helpful tool to bring more young people here to serve and be part of God’s movement in Central and Eastern Europe. You never know, maybe one of those big decisions college students are making will be coming here full time to tell others about the Greatest News there is.

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365 Czech Republic

Peace

We have a children’s album called “To Be Like Jesus” from Sovereign Grace Music. It was released back in 2009, but it was only this past year that we bought it. Originally, we just purchased the title track so Titus could perform the song with his Faith Kids class in the States last year at our church. Somewhere along the line we bought the whole album and lately I’ve had more time to play and listen to all the songs. Sometimes I will turn it up loud and let the kids dance around with me. But a song that has caught my attention is a slower, softer song called “Peace.” Tonight I started to really listen to the lyrics and I heard Titus and Avery try to sing it and I was just blessed. I think I listened to to it six times tonight and learned how to play it on my guitar. Musically it’s intentionally peaceful and the song could probably be a song adults sing on Sunday mornings. I love the lyrics to the chorus which read,

Peace, You give me peace
When the storms come and I’m afraid
Peace, You give me peace
When I trust in the words You say
You give me peace

I encourage you to listen to the entire song by playing the video below.

I guess today that song just kind of, as Bethany put it, “struck a chord with us.” As parents we definitely want our kids to have a Biblical understanding of peace. I mean, I know it’s a fruit of the Spirit but I don’t know if it’s a word we discuss much. Peace is such a strong theme in the Scripture. Think about the Psalms:

Psalm 4:8
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 29:11
May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!

Psalm 34:14
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Psalm 119:165
Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.

Peace is even a name of Christ:

Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Those are just a few passages, but it’s used throughout Scripture and it’s clearly an important topic in the mind and heart of God. And even though I don’t feel like we’re not at peace here right now, it was just the simplicity of the song and those words that reminded me that peace is something we need to model as parents and is an important fruit of being a Christian. We’re people of peace. Ephesians 6:15 even says our feet are fitted with the gospel of peace. The gospel, the message of the Christ, is what brings true and lasting peace and I need to wear it out like a pair of shoes. I don’t know if the Lord is preparing our hearts for something this week or this month or next year, but it was a nice reminder tonight to think on peace. I love how God uses little things like our kid’s Bible or their worship music to remind me of how I need to think. Thank you, Lord, for bringing peace to my heart at salvation and in my life each and every day “…when I trust the words You say.”

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365 Czech Republic

Winter Wheels and Good Meals

Winter Wheels

Today was Czech Independence Day from when they became Czechoslovakia back in 1918. Like many American holidays, in observance of the holiday many stores and shops were closed. Our team in Czech follows the Czech calendar so our office here was closed as well. With the extra day I had hoped we would be able to get our new winter tires on the car before this Saturday because November 1 is the date you’re supposed to have winter weather tires. We bought them a few weeks ago, but I’ve had them sitting in the garage for a moment when I can go get them switched. Thankfully, I can see the tire place from our house and it’s a 30 second walk to get there. While looking out the window today to see if they were open I saw their gate was unlocked and cars were driving in. Score! Titus and I packed up the car and coasted down our street to get them changed.

Winter Wheels

Winter Wheels

Titus thought it was great fun. For him, changing tires is just like the movie Cars and a pit stop with Lightning McQueen and honestly the guys today were about as fast as little Guido is in Cars. In about 8 minutes they had our car in and out with the tires on and ready to go. The guys at the shop are really nice and the main guy spoke really good English which was so nice. I don’t expect it and when it happens it’s an extra blessing, especially with the technical stuff like tires and auto repairs. They told me we probably need a few new tires for spring time, but we’ll get those fixed at a later date. And in the end the total charge was like $11 for the work. All in all it was a great little errand and I’m thankful to have those guys so close and be so helpful.

Winter Wheels

For lunch we decided to do a little picnic outside on the grass. The weather was cooler for sure, but the sun was shining and it was actually very nice outside. We basically did leftovers from last night’s chicken and drop biscuits. Bethany brought a little blanket out and all four of us enjoyed lunch together. It was nice just to relax a bit and be still.

While we were eating lunch Avery started to collect these leaves with long stems and turned them into a bouquet of dead leaves. She was really proud of it.

Winter Wheels

Tonight we had dinner with our friends, the Stephens. They invited us out since it was a holiday and we were excited to join them for a big family meal. The food was incredible and we enjoyed these fully loaded, barbecue grilled quesadillas! When we walked into the door Brian was still prepping them on the counter to get them ready for the grill and I snapped a quick photo. Mmmmmmmm.

Winter Wheels

The Stephens have a daughter, twin boys, and another boy on the way in November. Our kids had a lot of fun just playing with their kids and later in the evening they enjoyed playing the Wii in the living room. Brian and Aliesha are a blessing to chat with and wealth of knowledge on helping us continue to maneuver the Czech culture and transition here. As well, they were our regular support and Skype friends for the past few years before we came over here and I don’t know what we would’ve done without their help. Thank you, Stephens family, for having us over again and for the wonderful evening and great food!

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365 Czech Republic

That Drunk in the Headlights Look

This week the Czech Republic is celebrating their Independence Day. I guess they have two, but this week’s celebration commemorates their first back in 1918 when they declared their independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Titus actually has the first three days of school off this week and the Josiah Venture office here will be closed tomorrow. That’s all well and good, but there’s only problem: all the drunk people.

I don’t know if it’s just the holiday, but I can’t imagine a regular Monday night being a big drinking night for most people. But going to the grocery store was an event tonight. When I pulled in to Tesco where I planned to shop tonight, I saw a guy walking towards the car of an older lady who was putting her groceries in. He was talking to her and she was not responding. I had the kids in the back seat and was just kind of keeping an eye on things as I parked the car. I watched as he kept talking with her and she continued to not respond and he stood behind her car and she tried to back out. Eventually he moved out of the way, but was talking the entire time and finally hit her hood as she was backing out. I don’ think he did any damage, but for me that was enough for me to head to another store. Listen, I’m sure I could take a drunk guy in a fight if I needed to but with two kids you think twice about pulling everyone out of the car with this guy hassling customers in the parking lot.

I drove over to Kaufland (another grocery store) which is just around the corner from Tesco. Things went pretty well for the most part, except the place was just absolutely packed with people. Maybe I don’t shop on Mondays enough, but my goodness, this place was hopping! I only had to grab a few things, and I had Titus and Avery in the cart. Titus wanted to sit where the young kids usually sit so I put Avery in the main part of the cart. As I was checking out the woman at the register was clearly upset at me and kept looking at Avery. “OK Shay… what is she saying to you?” I was thinking to my self. I tried to ignore it and just keep unloading the cart. I’m not trying to be mean, but I just don’t understand enough Czech at this point to figure it out. She said something to me again and I looked at Avery and realized, “Oh… she probably doesn’t want Avery in the cart!” I picked up Avery and put her down and the lady said, “Thank you” in Czech. Whew. Dodged a bullet on that one.

While driving away from Kaufland I noticed a heavier than normal police presence with cops walking around casually in the parking lot. I wonder what that’s all about? I kind of blew it off until I got a little down the road and almost hit a drunk guy walking directly in the middle or the road. That’s true. Turned the corner and….drunk guy, walking sideways with a plastic bag in his hand right in my lane. I slammed on the brakes, he had that drunk guy in headlights look, and maneuvered his way around our car without a scene. Whew. Dodged a drunk guy on that one. I didn’t put it all together, but as we pulled in to the driveway it all clicked: oh yeah, it’s a holiday week and maybe that has some connection with all the craziness I have seen tonight. Honestly, I have no clue if that’s true, but that’s my explanation in this moment and the best I can do!

In all seriousness though, I think it’s all really sad and I genuinely felt compassion for both of the men I saw tonight, especially the second man who just looked really messed up. Both of them are made in the image of God. Both of them are in desperate need of a lot more than alcohol, that is, they need a relationship with Christ. That is not something I take lightly and as I write tonight my heart is heavy for Czech Republic. There are still so many that have never heard the Good News and I pray they will get to hear it and respond in faith before it’s too late.

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365 Czech Republic

Time Is (Sort Of) On Our Side

Every year, twice a year, my dad calls me around the day we adjust our clocks forward and backward. We always have a good laugh because I think we’re both a little unsure how this little tradition of him calling me about it started but it’s fun nonetheless. Sadly, I didn’t get that call toady because my dad, I’m sure, is unaware that Europe changes their clocks at a different date on the calendar. Today was that day here in Czech and we “fell back” one hour, giving us a little extra time in bed today. The whole day felt a little weird, almost like an extra long day. America will join the time change fun in a week so we’re actually an hour closer to the States this week which is great for talking to family. So maybe I can expect an earlier phone call from my dad next weekend? C’mon dad, we’ve got time on our side!

Sunday With the Kids (10/26/14)

This morning at church I stayed in Titus’ room with him again just to make sure he’s adjusting and also to watch his progress. It wasn’t my plan to stay but I really was curious. The language barrier is definitely tough and I think it’s really easy for him to get distracted and I had to really push him to stay with the rest of the class. In the photos above and below, the kids are drawing pictures and I honestly don’t know what exactly they were supposed to draw. All I know is that the other kids drew one person while Titus drew at least six. He told me, “I drew everyone!” He needed help with the ears but he was pretty proud of his rodina (aka: “family” in Czech).

Sunday With the Kids (10/26/14)

We went to the store after church to get a few groceries and I was a little disappointed that I missed a good language use opportunity. While checking out, the lady said to me “Kolik?” I know the word, I’ve studied the word, but the only thing I could think of in that quick moment was something about time. Is she asking me what time it is? Time just wasn’t on my side, even though it was on my mind, and I stared at her in confusion. Then she started counting my croissants. My brain made switch and I said out loud, “Sedm…eh…Shest!” Which is, “Seven…eh…Six!” I was happy that I figured it out, but a little bummed I couldn’t nail it right away. Such is the life of a foreigner just trying to buy a few croissants. Hey, they’re cheaper than time. See what I did there?

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365 Czech Republic

Playing Outside and Making Apple Pie

Playing Outside (10/25/14)

The gray skies lifted today and the sun was shining so we went to the park for a few hours this morning/afternoon. It wasn’t only the sun that brought us outside, but I had told our friend Rachael that I would snap a few photos of her so she can send an updated photo to her ministry partners (one photo is below). For at least the last three weeks, I’ve been taking photos for friends so they all can can update their prayer cards and email newsletters. What’s funny is it’s almost identical to what I was doing in the States with family photos right around this time of year. Everyone is sending out family photos for the holidays and I usually would schedule shoots during October/November so it kind of feels like that only in a different part of the world.

Playing Outside (10/25/14)

Photos didn’t take long today so we just hung out at the park and played with the kids and talked to Rachael. It’s been a pretty full week of ministry things at JV so spending some time focused and outside the kids was really nice. Here’s a little video of us playing on the slide and some more photos I took since I had my camera gear with me.

Playing Outside (10/25/14)

Playing Outside (10/25/14)

Playing Outside (10/25/14)

When we were about to leave I notice Titus’ rain boots (which he uses almost daily right now) have a hole in them. This is bummer because it’s the only pair he has. We may have to go see if we can find another pair tomorrow because they’re important for him to have at school.

After the park we invited Rachael over to enjoy some Swedish pancakes for a late brunch. You would think that a late brunch would actually just be lunch, but things are just different in Europe. OK, I’m kidding about Europe, but I digress. Rachael was an extra blessing today in helping us pick up the house a bit. Bethany was working on the food and Rachael helped unload the dishes while I vacuumed. I had really hope we would get some time to clean today and so that was really nice to have some extra hands to help! Thanks Rachael!

We continue to struggle with sickness as a family. I have a been coughing pretty hard this past week and today was feeling really tired. I laid down with Titus and we took a pretty long nap today which is just rare anymore for me. I’m hoping this sickness doesn’t last too long.

Tonight we made apple pie! I bought a big thing of apples a few days ago and we finally had time today to have a good ol’ American class apple pie. It was a family effort and we served it up with a little vanilla ice cream. It was delicious if I do say so my self and here’s a few photos and a video to end our blog tonight.

Making Apple Pie (10/25/14)

Making apple pie tonight. Yum!

A video posted by Shay Thomason (@shaycam) on

Making Apple Pie (10/25/14)

Making Apple Pie (10/25/14)

Making Apple Pie (10/25/14)

Making Apple Pie (10/25/14)

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365 Czech Republic

Casing the Grocery Store at 3 Degrees Celsius

Today marks four months of us in Czech. It’s been a wild ride and our lives have dramatically changed in a short amount of time. For instance, I went again tonight to do the shopping at the grocery store. I’m getting pretty good at finding my way around the store and I’m making less phone calls back home to Bethany asking, “What, what does sour cream look like again.” Don’t get me wrong, I still made a few calls tonight, but they are decreasing in number. The one thing that isn’t getting better is remembering to grab a 5 cent or higher coin to get a grocery cart. In order to get a cart you need a coin to release the chain that holds them all together. Usually we keep a coin in the car, but lately I haven’t had one and because of that I’m pretty it looks like I’m casing the joint.

Picture this: a huge tall guy (me) is walking around like a crazy man with his empty shopping bags hoping to find a cart that might not be chained up. So I’m in the parking lot shaking carts to see if one will come loose and repeat the same process inside. Desperation sets in when no cart comes free, so I go to the ATM, pull out cash, go and buy gummy bears, do a self check out, walk back to the car with my purchase, return to the store, get a cart and begin my shopping for a second time. All this while wearing a huge black jacket because it’s freezing outside.

While shopping I found a HUGE jar of Nutella with Santa on it. I didn’t buy it, but I took a photo because I couldn’t believe the size.

3 Degrees Celsius (10/24/14)

Speaking of freezing, it was 3 degrees outside…celsius. I checked the temperature from early this morning and all through out the day and it never changed. On the way to school this morning with Titus (shown below) it was cold and windy. While walking with Titus, he said, “Daddy, it’s too cold. I don’t like it when it’s cold.” He said that while wearing long johns under his clothes, snow gloves, a thick coat, and a warm hat. The walk is not far, but we were cold when we got to the school. I don’t waste too much breath talking about the weather, but the change is definitely dramatic but we’re thankful for big, warm jackets!

3 Degrees Celsius (10/24/14)

Before putting the kids down to bed tonight, Bethany told Titus, “Daddy wants to have a relaxing day tomorrow (Saturday).” Then he put his hands behind his head and said, “I love relaxing” which she took a photo of. There’s a few things on the agenda tomorrow but it’s been a busy week and I am truly hoping for some rest. Only time will tell.

3 Degrees Celsius (10/24/14)

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365 Czech Republic

The End of the Indian Summer

Hanging Fall (10/23/14)

We have been hearing for the past few weeks that we’re experiencing an “Indian Summer” in Czech. They have another name for it like “Grandmas Summer” or something like that, but it’s the same thing: warm weather in autumn. The weather of late has been very warm and nice, with only a little rain. That was until yesterday and today. Wow, can things change fast around here. A storm blew in and it got cold and wet. Even though it’s not really freezing temps just yet (the low tonight is supposed to be 34), the contrast makes it feel like it is.

Since the weather is a little damp, we have to create things to do in the house. Tonight Bethany decided we should hang the fall decorations we were sent from Nana and Papa. They sent us little sheets of sticky leaves, acorns, and pumpkins that go on the windows and glass surfaces.

Hanging Fall (10/23/14)

Hanging Fall (10/23/14)

The kids had a great time with it and I thought did a really good job. Hats off to my wife for the idea and thanks to Nana and Papa for the gift!

Tomorrow I’m hoping to get some time to get our winter tires put on our car. I have no idea how it’s going to play out and honestly am a little concerned that I won’t be able to communicate what I need to. It’s hard enough getting car repairs done in the States, but I have a feeling it’s going to be ten times more difficult in another country and another language.

Lastly, I took a few photos with a new app on my iPhone tonight of the kids. Here’s a couple portraits of these little rascals.

Hanging Fall (10/23/14)

Hanging Fall (10/23/14)