I’m so thankful to you. My time here is a gift from God, yes, but He provided it through all of you. I am so humbled by your selflessness. Every day is an adventure here. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of times when in my weakness I dread grading another stack of writing assignments or planning another grammar lesson. But I’m convinced I could find something to grumble about in the most idyllic circumstances. When I step out of myself for a moment and look at my life, I am incredibly blessed. We witnessed a faint flicker of spring weather in early March, and all the snow from our record-breaking winter finally melted. It wouldn’t last, unfortunately, as winter reclaimed its hold on the city soon thereafter. However, I've experienced something similar to a hint of Spring in my encounters with my students.
When I walk into class now, it’s no longer as a stranger. I’m greeted with warmth, with familiarity. Not by all of my students, mind you, but there are some who I’ve made great effort to reach out to, and they’ve responded positively. Czechs are difficult to get close to at first, but this is only because they demand authenticity. They aren’t people to stand on ceremony for the benefit of anyone. They’re also not used to someone believing in them or being willing to invest extra time or energy to help them without expecting anything in return. I look forward to becoming even closer with many of them and being able to encourage and challenge them (in spite of my teaching abilities, which leave something to be desired).
So many things have happened; I’ll try to share a few with you. Last week we had spring holiday (they’ve got me using British English now), and I was visited by my wonderful sister! We had a great time exploring Prague, which truly deserves to be on any short list of the world’s most beautiful cities, and also visiting Budapest, Hungary (see photos above). Despite being relatively close, it is really a different world. It was great to share the adventure with her. Neither of us speaks a word of Hungarian and the currency took some getting used to.
Last weekend, one of my colleagues, an American teacher at our school, got married to another American English teacher here in Prague. It was a delightfully simple and Christ-honoring ceremony, held in both Czech and English. A great many Czechs were in attendance and got to see two people devoting themselves to each other and to God. Please pray for Christ to reveal himself here to Czechs who are searching for meaning in an environment that is openly hostile towards religion. I’ve had several heartbreaking conversations with young Czechs who are exploring faith, but struggling with the feeling of complete isolation from society that faith promises.
Again, thank you so much for your prayers and support. I am trying to live in a manner worthy of them.
Richard
