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365 Czech Republic

Doctors, Kids, Dogs, and Taxes

Today was spring cleaning day at the Josiah Venture offices. This was a first for me, but it’s an annual event that’s actually on the schedule for us to clean anything and everything. For the international team, this not only includes our own offices, but also the garages (yes, plural) with tons of ministry materials that tend to get disorganized over the course of the year. I actually arrived late (shucks!) because Bethany had her last doctor’s appointment with her OBGYN. From now on she’ll be meeting with the doctors at the hospital that she’ll be delivering at because she’s officially in her 39th week! She’s only nine days away from her due date and we can’t wait to meet this little baby girl.

Avery Again (5/19/15)

Speaking of baby girls, I got the above photo of Avery this evening as we were playing in the yard. She was just looking really cute and staring at me so I grabbed my iPhone and got this shot. Almost nightly we go outside and play, which usually means Titus and I play tennis, baseball, or basketball while Avery walks around picking daisies and telling me stories. Almost all of her stories involve animals of some kind, but I was surprised by tonight’s tale of “monsters all around.” She ended up giving me “monster powers” so I could fight all the monsters which turned in to Titus and turning our tennis rackets in to what I’ll describe not as guns, but as Ghostbuster-like weaponry (cause guns aren’t for kids, ya know). These kids never cease to crack me.

Dog Gonnit (5/19/15)

There is a dog that continues to come around the JV offices and she was there today was we were cleaning out everything. I believe she has an owner with a garage near ours, but almost every day since the cold left us she has been around. Often I found her chasing butterflies and just wandering around the office. She seems friendly and everyone has fun petting and playing with her, but I still feel at odds with her. I actually like dogs and grew up with many of them, but I can’t seem to commit to this dog. I foresee and ongoing saga on how I feel towards this canine, so you’ll have to stay tuned for that. In the above photo you can see her wandering through the grass.

I spent a lot of time tonight working on our taxes. I haven’t written much about it (or at all) on the blog, but we’ve been on the search for someone to help us with international tax law as things get really complicated when you move overseas. By God’s grace, one of our friends in the States was able to get us in contact with a guy who has 32 years of experience in taxes, along with a ton of clients who live overseas. I was able to speak with him on the phone tonight and we’re getting things moving which is great! Now you might be thinking that April 15 has already passed and we missed the deadline. Well, that’s actually a bonus of living overseas because we get an automatic extension. I’m really hoping our new tax guy can help us and get us all those wonderful deductions we cherish so much. He was really great on the phone and I’m excited to kind of get that stuff of my shoulders.

I’m still not feeling great and don’t have my sense of taste back. In fact, I actually had a lot of sinus pressure today that was really bothering me so that’s a bummer. If you think of us, continue to pray for health. The kids and Bethany seem to be recovering quickly but I trail behind still clinging to my box of Kleenex.

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365 Czech Republic

Tasteless

On A Sunday (5/17/15)

The inevitable appears to have happened: Bethany got sick. She woke up this morning feeling stuffy like the rest of us and now we’re hoping here super pregnancy hormones will allow her to bounce back faster than we are (I don’t know if that’s scientifically proven or possible, but I can dream right?). Needless to say with everyone hacking, sneezing, and sniffling we didn’t make it to church today. I took NyQuill last night and was out cold so even when I woke up I was pretty groggy. Bethany can’t take anything really because of the baby so again we’re just hoping she doesn’t get it as bad. To further complicate things, Avery threw up tonight at dinner which means she’s still battling. I ended up buying three boxes of tissues at the store last night and I’m pretty sure I already single-handedly used up a half a box. It’s just been one of those sick days that have become oh so common for us.

On A Sunday (5/17/15)

Something that’s kind of new for me is whenever I get sick I have been losing all sense of taste. I say new because it’s only really been in the past year or so that I’ve experienced this phenomena. I’m pretty sure it’s just related to how congested I am, but for the past three days I have been unable to taste anything. It’s very strange to bite in to a banana or eat a salad with dressing and taste nothing. My brain has the memory of what it should taste like, but there’s just nothing there. I hate it. You realize really quickly the incredible grace of God that exists in your sense of taste when you don’t have it anymore. God didn’t have to make food taste different. He could’ve just made it tasteless and only allowed food to give your nourishment. Instead He made food taste different and internationally we have some many different varieties to enjoy. That’s a grace of the Lord that I’m missing today.

On A Sunday (5/17/15)

We did manage to make it outside for a bit today. Titus and Avery love all the dandelions growing right now and at one point Titus just laid down in the long grass near the park where we walked to tonight. I took this photo of him because he looked so happy. It’s nice to see such joy in spite of sickness. That’s the heart I want to have right now. It truly remind me of the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. This is my prayer this evening,

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

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365 Czech Republic

A Nesting Bethany

It was another day of sickness and lots of sleep. Not only did I sleep in today, but I ended up taking two naps, both of which were more than two hours in length. Avery, Titus, and I continue to hack and cough while sharing the Kleenex box which is running low. Thankfully, Bethany has been able to stay healthy thus far although she said she’s a little worried she might be sick by tomorrow. This is our life and for me it feels like I’ve written this same blog many times before.

Bethany Is Nesting (5/15/15)

Bethany has gone in to full “nesting” mode. I asked her today if pregnancy nesting was scientifically proven and she affirmed it so it must be true (plus, I’m pretty sure it’s scientifically proven that challenging a pregnant woman is unwise). This has happened with all of our kids, but right before she’s about to give birth (either a few days or weeks before), Bethany gets a little crazy with getting things organized, purchased, or whatever else may be required. With Titus I vividly remember running around Sears trying to find a new dishwasher for our house. Bethany was dead set on having a new dishwasher before that baby came. That same night she ended up going in to labor. I don’t remember the specifics for when Avery was born, but I think it had something to do with Christmas decorations or cleaning the house. For the past few days it’s been a bunch of the same.

Today she really wanted to make sure we went to the mall and got a few things that we’ve been needing. Even though I’m sick, we packed in to the car and off we went (I should be clear that she didn’t force me–I went of my volition). She also followed up on a tax accountant in the U.S. to help us with international tax law. She was working with the kids to make sure they cleaned up the living room and got things organized. She did all the dishes. She got a box out of the garage with baby clothes that she’s been wanting to loan to another family (which I hand delivered today). Earlier this week we were reorganizing our bedroom, throwing out old clothes, and even taking things down to the basement storage. Maybe some of these things sound normal to you, but I’m telling you things have ramped up around here. At one point she asked me if I wanted her to drive the car because I wasn’t feeling well and I told her I was too scared of her driving us because of her super nesting mode she’s in. Her response, “We gotta get this stuff done.” Yes, mam!

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365 Czech Republic

Asleep on the Office Floor

Still Sick (5/14/15)

Above is a photo of me sleeping on the floor of my office today. I don’t remember a time in my life where I’ve done something like that, but I guess there’s always a first time for everything. The back story goes like this. I had a long meeting in the morning and got back to the office around 1:15pm. I hadn’t had any lunch, so a few of us went and grabbed some lunch. Upon returning I just didn’t feel well. I figured I would just go home, but the thought of driving for 30 minutes just didn’t sound possible considering how I was feeling. As soon as we walked back in to the office, I laid down on the ground and feel asleep for what I think was about 45 minutes. My body just basically shut down. During that time time, my teammate Daniel got this photo of me presumably because the thought it was just weird that I would fall asleep right there. I literally used my wallet as a pillow.

After my nap, I did feel well enough to get to the car and drive home. However, as soon as I got home I laid down and slept for another 2 hours. Titus ended up convincing Bethany to send me in some medicine because he thought it would instantly make me well enough to take him outside and play baseball. I took the medicine, but it definitely wasn’t enough to get me outside and on my feet. I feel completely and utterly exhausted even now.

Still Sick (5/14/15)

Tonight we ended up taking a meal to one of our missionary friends and teammates, but while we were driving Titus said he was going to throw up. We pulled over and sure enough he took care of that in the parking lot of a grocery store. We honestly thought he was getting better even though he’s still really stuffed up, but I think we’re going to keep him out of school again tomorrow. Avery doesn’t seem to have it as bad as Titus and I, but she’s still battling something too. This really isn’t my favorite time to be sick with Bethany so close to her due date. We’re in that place where anything could happen and my hope would be that we could all feel better before that baby arrives. Not only do I not want to be sick when the baby comes (simply because that’s usually not good for babies), but I also want to be well enough to help with all the other details. Lord willing, we’ll be healthy and ready but even if that doesn’t happen we’ll just have to figure out how to respond well.

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365 Czech Republic

The Streak is Over

Our streak is over. It’s been about two months since we’ve been sick, but it all came back the last couple days. No doubt that is the longest health streak we’ve had since arriving in Czech, so that’s a blessing.

The sickness started with Titus on Sunday night and has worked it’s way through the family with only one survivor at this point and that’s Bethany. I’m not complaining. This seems like a normal sickness, maybe like a cold which has given Titus, Avery, and me runny noses, congestion, and soar throats. The only bummer is that last night Titus woke up in the middle of the night throwing up in his bed which severely alters any kind of sleep pattern a human might have. All I remember doing is take the sheets on his bed and putting them in the washer–beyond that it’s anyone’s guess. It was almost cruel for Bethany to ask me today if I had put both his top sheet and fitted sheet in there (she didn’t want to have to reach in and see, which makes sense). But who is going to remember that!? I’m pretty sure I slept through most of the event.

Recycling (5/13/15)

Needless to say I’m a little tired this evening. The kids are stuffy and fussy. And Bethany is just flat out ready to get that baby out and not be sick in the process. We’re mostly in good spirits, but I think we’ll be battling this sickness for a few days. Despite this, I did manage to make it to the grocery store tonight for food and Titus and I took out the recycling (shown above) which was getting full. Beyond that we haven’t done much else. I was at the JV office most of the day since I’m not as a sick as usual, but we’ll just have to see how the rest of the week goes. I’ve actually got an important meeting in the morning and I’m hoping to get a good night’s sleep tonight and feel better tomorrow. I’m doing my best to take as much zinc as I can in hopes of reducing the amount of time I’m sick as well as the symptoms. Again, I’m hopeful this too will work!

That’s all for this Wednesday. It’s time to put the kids to bed and I’m going to try to be close behind them. Good night!

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365 Czech Republic

Singing and Speaking

Little Guitar (3/25/15)

Every day before I write the blog, I ask Bethany if she has any photos or stories from the day that would be worth sharing. Usually we both go through our phones and see what we have, but today we only found this photo of a guitar (above) that I got today at the Josiah Venture offices. Our teammate, Daniel, has his brother and their friend here in Czech for a little while and they brought him this guitar from the States. Daniel brought the guitar in today to show us and we even enjoyed a few minutes of him playing and singing. I joined the fun too and played a few worship songs which I haven’t really done much of lately. Actually, one of the songs I played is a favorite modern hymn-like song from Matt Papa called “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery.” The truths described in this song are great and it was one of the songs we should sing on Easter or at least the week before to get our hearts prepared. Here’s a YouTube video of it for you to listen to.

Other than singing for a little bit today, we spent a lot of time this after speaking during our Czech lesson with Jenny and Landen. The Czech language has been kind of piling up in our brains so we spent time today just reviewing and trying to see how much we could speak and remember. Jenny was kind enough to put together a little sheet for us to help learn a few of the different cases in Czech. It’s hard when you learn just how hard Czech is. There are so many cases and endings to words you can literally have dozens (yes, plural dozens) of forms for the color green, for example. Whereas in English we have one word for “green” Czech has a billion (not literally, but it feels that way). So we spent time today working through that and making statements like “five green pens.” It might sound simple, but it’s not. Hard or not, we are plowing forward and continue to do our best to get as much Czech in our brains as possible.

Lastly, and sadly, Avery’s sickness has gotten much worse. Today she had a really bad cough and was running a fever in the afternoon. We may end up taking her to the doctor this week if she doesn’t improve. Tonight we kind of wheezing and I think her throat is hurting because it was the first time she has ever asked us to give her medicine. Normally she despises the meds, but tonight she was walking down the hallway saying, “Medicine…medicine!” It was really sad, but she’s been a sleep for a few hours now and I haven’t heard her. Hopefully she’ll get rest tonight and feel better in the morning. Thanks for praying with us!

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365 Czech Republic

A Really Long Week and a Godly Wife

Bethany and I both agree that this has been the longest week, or at least it feels like it is never ending. Maybe it’s because we have basically slept for half of the normal waking hours and our schedules have just been way off, but whatever the reason it’s felt like the last five days were equal to a month’s worth of time.

Tonight I feel like I might be over the hump of the worst sickness. By no means have I reached the bottom of the hill, and I’ve been genuinely surprised how long it has taken me to recover. Through all the sleeping, the intake of juice and liquids, and now antibiotics I’ve still had a rough day today which included a new addition of a headache most of the day. My voice is still a little raspy from all the congestion, but I’m hopeful that another good night of sleep tonight will bring it back.

Despite all the sickness, I think we’re doing alright thanks to God’s grace which was seen this week through my wife. Bethany has been incredible even when I’ve literally just been stuck in bed for three or four hours during the day. She has made us meals, worked with the kids, done the dishes, done laundry, taken Titus to school, picked him up, and all this while being pregnant and even sick herself! I don’t remember her complaining (although I’m sure in her humility she’ll contest that statement). I’m constantly amazed at her and her willingness to lay down herself for me and our family. She is an example to me of someone who loves Christ more than her own life because I see it in her example to us and her faith. I write this tonight as way of building her up and in the vein of Proverbs 31:28, “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her” (my emphasis). As sick as I’ve been this week, I really don’t know what we would’ve done without her self-sacrifice. I have more than once this week been reminded in my own heart of the vow we made, “…in sickness and in health…” and that Bethany is a woman of her word. Thank you, wife, for your love and care of this broken man. I love you. You are a helper suitable and I am blessed beyond words to call you my wife.

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365 Czech Republic

Sick Bodies, Encouraged Hearts

Sick Days (3/3/15)

I’ve lost count of how many hours we’ve slept the last few days. I feel sad for our kids who see us here, but can’t spend the kind of time they want with us because we’re so energy zapped. Titus kept asking me to take him outside to play and I told him while I was lying on the couch, “Sorry, pal. I just can’t.” He said, “But Dad, it’s sunny out!” “I know, bud. I’m sorry.” Above is a photo of me lying on the couch. Even though I pretty much reject the “selfie” movement in our culture, I couldn’t resist documenting how I was feeling today.

Sick Days (3/3/15)

Bethany has been a trooper even though she hasn’t been feeling well and she’s pregnant. She handed me this bowl of soup shown above today for lunch as well as took care of the kids and provided for their needs. I don’t know if the wedding vows “in sickness and in health” meant really bad colds or infections, but Bethany was faithful nonetheless and I’m thankful for her. That being said, she also gave me some other concoction after lunch which was quite fowl. You can see the photo of it below and her caption with my thoughts (aka “witches brew”).

We’re sitting here tonight tired and still sick and I have a doctor’s appointment scheduled for tomorrow at 1pm. It was the earliest I could get and it’s a 35 minute drive from our place. It’s not the doctor I wanted to see, but I have a good recommendation from another missionary here. I’m hopeful we can get some clarity and hopefully some medicine that will help me get back on my feet.

Right now we’re watching the live stream of the Shepherd’s Conference which I had the joy and privilege of attending a year ago before we moved to Czech. I was extremely blessed to hold the kids on my lap tonight and we as a family gathered around my computer to hear the music of Keith and Kristyn Getty. Their modern hymns are a source of encouragement for these sick bodies and make me long for heaven. There is definitely something special about singing songs that reflect the very words of God found in Scripture. Praise the Lord.

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365 Czech Republic

“Bye Bye, Ty Ty”

I feel about as sick as I’ve felt while living in Czech. I slept for four hours this afternoon and still feel exhausted. Those who regularly follow our story know that we have not been very healthy since moving here, and the past week has been no different. It’s hard to distinguish between what is just the normal cold season stuff and what is our bodies adjusting to a new climate. The weather has gone from cold to somewhat warm, so that could be affecting us. We don’t get nearly as much sun as we used, so that’s a theory too. And then of course there’s just the normal sickness that goes around and right now we know a lot of people who are sick, so that could definitely be it. Maybe I am saying this because of how I’m feeling at the moment, but I think sickness has been one of the most difficult things that we’ve experienced over. It seems like whatever we get is worse and lasts a lot longer that what I remember having in the States. Yet, I know God is using it to sanctify us. I just wish the sanctification process required less Kleenex.

There’s not much to write about when you spend most of the day sleeping, but there is a story from when Bethany picked up Titus today. He had last week off because of some normal holiday break, and today was his first day back in a week. One of the hilarious things about his class is that everyone calls him “Ty Ty” (I think they picked the nickname up from us because we often call him that when we’re talking to him). As Titus and Bethany were walking out of the coat room there was a little girl standing near the walkway who saw them, stopped what she was doing, waved, and said, “Bye Bye, Ty Ty” in English. Bethany was so excited that the girl spoke to him in English and so she made sure he said goodbye to her as well. It was a cute moment and something we want to remember.

I’m off to bed. Pray for us as we try to get healthy and get our energy back.

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365 Czech Republic

Making Us More Like Jesus

Only seconds after publishing last night’s blog, I heard Avery cry from the room her and Titus were asleep in. They had been a sleep for a few hours by that point and I really didn’t think much of it. I closed the lid of my laptop and heard her crying again and then I heard Bethany’s voice calling for me. “Avery just threw up all over the bed,” she told me as I entered the room. That was around 11:30pm.

Before Zach and Kara left the flat we were staying in last night, we made plans to join them for church. Zach was going to meet us around 9am today and help us manage the trams over to their church. But as soon as we began to get Avery out of bed and into the tub where we could clean her up, I realized it was going to be a long night. I texted Zach that church was probably not going to happen, and I’m honestly glad I did. It took us about 30 minutes to get Avery cleaned up, her hair washed, and all the bed coverings taken care of. Avery was in a better mood and said she was hungry. We had some bananas and pretzel so she ate some of that was happy. She laid back down and went to bed but we still had all these dirty clothes that we were hoping to wash. It was now just past midnight.

Last half-day in Prague (3/1/15)

Since we were in downtown Prague I figured I would go down to the little shop at the bottom of the building and buy some laundry soap. Amazingly, it was open and so I purchased the soap and ran back upstairs. Upon inspecting the German packaging some more (and translating it on my phone) I realized I had actually purchased fabric softener. So went spent some time researching shops near us where I could find a brand that I knew was actually soap. I went back outside and walked down a few different streets and blocks and nothing else was open so back to the little shop I went. I spent a good amount of time staring at the bottles and trying to figure out which one was not fabric softener, made my selection, and bought a second bottle of soap. I went back up to the 5th floor where I did more research only to find out second time that I just bought another bottle of fabric softener! A little defeated and sad we decided it was just time for bed and we would deal with it in the morning. That was 1am.

Avery threw up again at 2am and then at around 4am. We repeated the same process at 2am that we did the first time with a clean up but at 4am she didn’t have much on her stomach. Titus and Avery were both awake for the day just after 6 and I honestly think the most sleep we got was from 6-8am when let the kids watch something on the iPad because we were exhausted. When I did wake up I went back down to another store that I recognized, bought the soap that I knew was correct, and we started washing everything this morning. The lack of sleep hurt my cold sickness recovery and I just didn’t feel well at all and went back to bed for another hour.

Last half-day in Prague (3/1/15)

We made plans to have lunch with Zach and Kara as well before we got our train back to home today (I’m actually writing this post while on the train). I wasn’t feeling great, and we missed our first tram, but we did end up joining them. The food was delicious and I was really glad we got to spend a little more time with them. This afternoon they helped us get packed up, played with our kids, and then get checked out of our flat on eventually on to the train that we’re now enjoying.

Last half-day in Prague (3/1/15)

The day is ending much better than it started and for that I’m grateful. It was a hard night but for now it’s over. I’m sure I had nights like Avery’s when I was little. By God’s grace we make it through and you spend a train ride thinking about how hard it was, but also how gracious the Lord was. We had a great weekend and really sweet time with our friends and for that we’re very thankful. You never know how the days will go, but I guess that’s part of the “fun” of life! We’ll be home in a few hours and maybe another long night is ahead of us, only the Lord knows? What I do know is that God is using it all to sanctify us and make us more like His Son. And when I think about it like that, it makes it all worth it.