Until the Very End

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.  ~Henry Adams

I was sitting in the Royal Garden at Prague Castle one evening reading, when I looked up and there was no one else in sight; no sound except for the fountains and the birds. It was utterly tranquil. In the peace and solitude I reflected on all the centuries that this city has seen in its tumultuous history. The glory, the oppression, the violence, and the liberation of the past have shaped Prague, and they characterize it even more than the stone bridges and towering spires. It made my one year of teaching here seem so insignificant, and I had to wonder whether Prague will even notice I was here.

I won’t be remembered as an outstanding teacher or a charismatic mentor. On the other hand, in a culture where words aren’t cheap and friendship is hard-earned, I’ve managed to connect with some of my students on a level that makes saying goodbye so touching and sad that it both warms and breaks my heart. I have to constantly remind myself that this year is not about me and my experience, it’s about every interaction I have with the people here. At times I’ve been able to encourage, at other times to share ideas, and in a few instances even to challenge and to explore spiritual topics. Tonight I’m meeting again with two of my former students (and close friends) who I’ve had the honor to give Czech Bibles to and discuss faith with. However, that’s not how most of my time here has been spent. I’ve simply had the privilege to be a part of my students’ lives and to help them in any way possible.

I’ve had years that have been less productive and packed with activity than the past few months, so I’ll just give you the highlights. I took a group of students to a Model United Nations Conference in Oldenburg, Germany for a week at the beginning of June. I teach a seminar on International Relations, and this was a great chance for them to put the ideas and theories we study into practice. They did brilliantly at the conference, I was really proud. I stayed with a kind and generous German family and ate very well. Traveling by train across Europe and being responsible for a group of teenagers was quite an adventure in itself. I’ll never forget running for our last train from Berlin to Prague as it prepared to pull away from the platform and lunging for the door handle yelling “halt!” with as much authority as I could muster.

The photos above are from a trip that some of the teachers in the Czech Republic took to a charming town called Český Krumlov, which is famous for maintaining its medieval charm even today. While there, we took part in a popular Czech tradition: rafting down the Vltava River, which involved a lot of stopping at pubs along the riverbank, taking in some breathtaking natural beauty, and braving the weirs, man-made drops in the water level that send some plummeting into the river. We also had an end-of-the-year teacher trip to a town called Benešov just outside Prague, where we got to reflect on our year, consider what we’ve learned, and encourage those who'll be returning next year. We even got to visit Konopiště Castle, the famous last residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

The last few weeks have been a blur of completing grades, cleaning, organizing, and attending goodbye functions. I’ve been humbled by unexpected emotional displays of gratitude from students I never knew I had affected. If I can offer you one piece of advice: take every opportunity to bless those around you; show them love, deserved or undeserved.  Truth be told, we will probably all look back on our lives and lament, like Oskar Schindler, “I didn't do enough!” Thank God we aren’t measured by our works.

Thank you all for believing, for giving of yourselves to such an unlikely cause, and for demonstrating grace and love to the Czech people in such a tangible way. God is working here, I promise you that, and you are all part of his workforce. I'll be on a plane home in a matter of weeks. It will be wonderful to be reunited with many of you, and to begin whatever chapter is next in life. Please don't hesitate to reply or leave a comment if you have any questions.

Every exit is an entrance somewhere else. ~Tom Stoppard

In Christ,
Richard

Hallelujah

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.”  ~Shakespeare

Greetings from beautiful, spring-kissed Prague. I hope this finds all of you in good spirits. Yesterday, some teacher friends from Ostrava visited and I took the opportunity to walk around the city with them. The weather was perfect, and as we strolled through well-kept palace gardens, alongside grand statuary and exquisite fountains, I overheard crowds of tourists expressing their awe and delight at the things they saw. I’ve been here just over eight months, and already I take it for granted. It was great to see my world through new eyes. I think spring offers us a renewed perspective every year; just when we start to become comfortable in our cynicism and accept the world as a cold, dark place, nature erupts in brilliant colors and warmth and defies us not to celebrate.

I wanted to give you a glimpse of a few things I’m involved in on a regular basis here. Each week, the teachers from my program in Prague meet for Bible study (we’ve been discussing the book of Acts) and fellowship. It’s an invaluable time of prayer, encouragement, and the occasional outlet for cross-cultural frustrations. Truly though, most of the reports we share are positive. We just began a new series on Genesis at the church I attend here, which is fantastic because it addresses issues that Czechs are interested in, such as the relationship between science and faith. Every two weeks I help lead an English conversation group at a local café with some of my students. They are surprisingly interested in the thoughts and opinions of their American teachers, and they always respond positively to us showing personal interest in their lives as well.

As many of you already know, I’ve decided not to return for a second year of teaching in the Czech Republic. This was not an easy decision because I love my students, my colleagues, and the city. However, I’m confident (after a great deal of prayer) that it is the right thing. I’m focusing on making the best possible use of my remaining three months here (I will be flying home on July 21^st). Time seems so precious now.

I had the incredible privilege to travel to Israel and Jordan over Easter holiday with my roommate Ben and two teacher friends from Hungary (see photos above). Both Petra and the old city of Jerusalem are incredible testaments to the glory of past civilizations. The city of Petra in Jordan is breathtaking; I felt like my childhood hero, Indiana Jones, as he craned his neck to gaze upward at the magnificent façade of the Treasury at the end of Last Crusade. Jerusalem at Easter was unforgettable. I can still hear the church bells clanging, the multitude of reverent prayers, and the people singing “Hallelujah” in the streets.

As always, thank you so much for your support.

Richard

Spring has (almost) Sprung

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

Ring in the New

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

~Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Greetings from snowy Prague. Thank you for all the positive feedback after my last update. I am nearly finished with grades for this term, which is such a relief (grading can be a complex and draining process). I want to be fair and to encourage students, but also to send a message to those who aren’t putting in the required effort. Our flat has been a beehive of activity lately, as all four of us have been preparing tests, grading, designing final projects, and organizing our records for the end of the first term.

The pictures above are from a short trip I took to a city called Karlovy Vary in western Bohemia. It’s a beautiful and serene mountain town. The streets are dotted with mineral water springs, which you drink from out of thin little porcelain mugs. There were lots of old, interesting churches to see (always my favorite architectural/cultural sites) and I enjoyed the refreshing and tranquil time I spent there.

This weekend, we have our “spiritual renewal retreat”, which will bring all of the teachers from my program in the Czech Republic together in Prague for fellowship, encouragement, refocusing, and a lesson from my pastor. This time of year can be tough because the winters here are long, dark, cold, and gloomy.

One of the main things on everyone’s mind at the retreat will be decisions for next year. We have a deadline in late February to either commit to another year overseas or not. I desperately need God’s guidance in this decision, as I’m still a bit conflicted. I’ve heard that one year is not sufficient to make a difference in the lives of Czechs because the first year is spent adjusting and learning the ropes, and because it takes more time to create meaningful relationships. Most of my students are dealing with hardships at home as well as confusion and hopelessness. I try to uplift them and assure them that there is hope, and to challenge them to consider the meaning behind life, beauty, and suffering. However, sometimes I feel that I’m only skimming the surface of a vast ocean. In addition, part of me feels led to pursue opportunities back in the States next year. Ultimately, I want to follow God's perfect will. May I have the wisdom to see it and the courage to follow it. I am, as always, so grateful for your support. Until next time, čau,

Richard

Veselé Vánoce

Christmastime in Prague is full of life. The cold and stoic people I thought I knew so well have overwhelmed me with their warmth. My students have written me cards, baked me cookies, fixed me tea, drawn me pictures, and most importantly poured out their hearts to me over the past weeks. This may all seem very normal to many of you, but those of you who know a lot of Czechs know what I mean when I say that I wonder at times if they really have hearts at all, rather than a second mind lodged in each of their chests. (This is not meant to offend anyone, in fact the Czechs I know would probably laugh approvingly at that remark).

The snow has been falling for days, the Christmas markets are charming, the lights are shining all over the city, the medovina is hot, and I am learning and experiencing so much. I've had some excellent conversations with my new friends here on topics ranging from the latest action movies to the true meaning of Christmas. Actually, during my time here I've discovered how valuable a long, honest conversation can be.

I wish you all a happy Christmas season, and thank you so much for keeping me in your hearts and your prayers. It will be difficult to be away from home during this time of year, but it's ultimately for the best and I am in great hands.

As Christmas approaches, I am reminded how incredibly blessed I am. Not only because of my comfort, my safety, my health, my opportunity to live overseas, my amazing family, or my endless support from all of you, my friends back home. I am blessed because I'm loved without deserving love.

The main character in the book I'm reading struggled with the idea of undeserved love, insisting that "One must deserve love." Another character challenges him, "So I see you really fancy there's something in you that makes you worth loving." Frankly, whenever I search within myself for something, I come up empty. At the end of the chapter, the main character's mother reminds him what true love looks like. "Christ," she says, "will forgive everything...He will forgive your blasphemy and will forgive even worse. He will never fail us, and His light will reach us even in the blackest night." This time of year, it helps me to remember that the greatest love story of all time began with a little baby in a manger.

Merry Christmas

Richard

The Student Becomes the Teacher

Ahoj from Prague! I hope this long-overdue update finds all of you well.  I’m now nearly three months into my time here in the Czech Republic, and I feel like I’m changing even more dramatically than the leaves that paint the landscape in fiery reds and yellows and make the Prague Autumn so stunning.

My work here keeps me very busy. On Mondays and Tuesdays I teach all day at a high school (pictured in the last photo above), and for the rest of the week I tutor individuals in their homes and teach smaller classes all over the city. I also help organize and run English conversation events outside of school, giving my students a chance to come and discuss any topic they like with their “fun” American teachers. It’s a great opportunity to show interest in them personally and get to know them better. I’ve also had the privilege to help some of my students in a practical way with letters of recommendation and by proofreading essays.

I’ve gained an overwhelming admiration for teachers these past months. While some cultural adjustments have been more difficult than others (trying to learn a bit of Czech has been no cakewalk), teaching has been my biggest challenge by far. I never imagined the amount of preparation and creativity required for every good lesson. I confess I’m learning far more than I’m teaching.

However, it’s been such a delight to get to know my students. The unique individuality of each one makes me so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of their lives. I regularly assign journal entries in order to get the students to think critically, to imagine, and explore new ideas (qualities that aren’t highly valued in this education system). One of my recent topics was “What is your dream job?”, and I was shocked to discover their skepticism about the plausibility of their dreams becoming reality. If nothing else, I want to be the one person to uplift them and encourage them to strive for what they are passionate about. Another topic I used was, “One day to live.” The students had to describe how they would spend their final day on earth, the idea being to get them to think about what is most important to them. In their responses, I could see a yearning for deeper meaning and purpose in life.

I’ve found a wonderful church community out here (mainly expats), which has blessed me immeasurably and helped sustain me during hard times. They’ve even given me the opportunity to be involved in praise and worship. We meet in a train station, and our little room is more crowded every week.

Pray for us this weekend, we are hosting a Thanksgiving feast for over 30 teachers from the program here at our flat on Saturday. I’m not even sure how we’ll fit them all in here, but it promises to be a great time of fellowship.

I do apologize for how long it has been since I’ve written. A little over a month ago, my computer completely stopped working, and for the time that I didn’t have one I felt completely disconnected from the world. I know that God was using the experience to remind me of His presence. I now have a brilliant new laptop and you will be hearing from me more often! As always, I can’t express how thankful I am to all of you for your incredibly generous support. Please feel free to write or leave a comment.

In Christ,

Richard

Shining a Light in the Golden City

It is magnificent here, even more so than I had imagined. I arrived early in the evening, weary but immediately in awe of this enchanting city. None of the teachers' luggage made it to Prague. You see, we had sprinted through London/Heathrow airport just in time to catch our connecting flight and our luggage must not have been so swift.  I was greeted at my new workplace (and home) by an American teacher named Katie who helped me get settled in and fed (she might as well have been an angel from heaven). We did get our luggage later on.

I am living in a flat right below the school where I teach (although I will be teaching courses in other parts of the city as well) and we have only to walk up a flight of stairs from within our flat to be at work. I live with three other guys who also teach at the school through the same program. They are all veterans at this and have been incredibly helpful!

The next morning, those of us who are new in Prague planned to meet at a central location downtown to tour the city (and also to fight off jet lag by staying awake all day). Of course, my first action as a resident here was to disembark at the wrong tram stop and thereby get hopelessly lost for nearly an hour. Mind you, my aimless wandering during this time would have been quite pleasant under any other circumstances. Rest assured, I have since learned the Czech phrase for "next stop."

As we strolled through cathedrals, past elaborate synagogues and churches, over ancient bridges, down winding cobblestone roads overlooked by a towering castle (the largest in the world), I noticed one unpleasant sight in the midst of all this beauty: construction. Charles Bridge itself is undergoing extensive renovation, which means ugly scaffolding and other eyesores between you and the beauty you came to see. Even the intricately sculpted statue of Christ on the cross is encircled by a rusted chain-link fence.

I've now taught several classes, and I will dedicate my next post to how teaching is going, but for now I will say this: my students are very bright, and they have already challenged me to devote myself completely to this incredible task. As a young foreign teacher I have the unique opportunity to show genuine interest in their lives. I pray for the ability to do so, and to demonstrate my heart for them in a practical way through my teaching and my interactions with them outside of class.

I wanted to keep this short and sweet (too late), but there are simply too many things to share. I could tell you about sitting through hours of meetings in Czech with my new colleagues, some of whom are more patient with me than others; I could tell you about my newfound appreciation for how easy things were back home (for example, being able to read signs or food packages). I could explain how my relationship with God has already been challenged and deepened here through trials and forced reliance on Him, but I have written too much already. Most importantly, I am experiencing how inadequate I am on my own, while learning what power there is in submission to God's will.

There is a sense of detachment from all things spiritual here in the Golden City; a repressed, melancholic despair lingering beneath the surface and beneath all the beauty, masked as self-reliance and enlightenment. It serves as a barrier to the light, like a rusted chain-link fence between the people and the redeeming love of Christ. I feel hopelessly underqualified to shine a light here, but in my heart I know that God is stronger than the fence; that nothing can stand between Him and the people He loves. If I can play some small part in tearing down that fence, then I have a purpose for living that is greater than myself.
Thank you all for making it possible,

Richard