(We can not yet confirm nor deny the accuracy of these Czech translations… But here they are for your entertainment 🙂 )

Greetings! (Zdravím vás!)

Hello friends and family! Somehow it’s been 15 days since our last update. You can imagine how time is flying for us as we get settled in to our new home.

We trust you have experienced the Lord’s grace, provision, and loving guidance over the last few weeks as we have, even amidst the daily challenges. Here’s what’s been going on!

No More ‘Nomading’ (Už nejsme kočovníci)

While we are thankful for the two AirBnbs we stayed at during our first 1.5 weeks here, we are especially grateful that we are now settling in to our own home. We’re no longer nomads.

God provided a wonderful home in a beautiful small town of 600 residents. It’s called Lidice. The town is within reasonably close driving distance to the church, Bennett’s school, and all the other essentials. There are several families on the block with other kids. The yard is beautiful, and it’s a very safe location. We also have a kind neighbor who wants to practice his English on us, and has been very kind to our kids too. He gave them a scooter 🙂 We’re thankful God is already providing opportunities to meet Czech unbelievers.

Private School (Soukromá škola)

We missed the sign up deadline for Bennett’s schooling by about a month. While Amie Denny has been a great help in finding another state school for Bennett to join, the reality is that ‘Covid babies’ are now packing the schools to the brim! Thankfully, as a temporary solution (1 school year), Bennett will go to a private kindergarten. There are great benefits to this, and only a few challenges.

Benefits: Smaller class size. It’s an English-Czech school where both languages are spoken. Very friendly, energetic, creative teachers.

Challenges: It’s not in Lidice (though it is in Kladno where the church is!). It’s not free like the state school, costing us several hundred extra dollars a month. We can adjust the budget, and we know God will provide.

In the meantime it’s a great solution. It will allow Bennett to get comfortable around Czech speaking kids and adults. We will have him repeat kindergarten next year for additional language learning and adapting. Thankfully, because of his first year at this private school, ‘normal school’ will be less of a shock next year.

School starts in early September.

IKEA Masters (Mistři IKEA)

After not a few hand blisters, late nights of assembling furniture, five or six carloads of boxes, a couple borderline freakout moments, piles of cardboard, and a classic IKEA cafeteria meal to top it all off, our house is almost completely set up!

If you’ve ever shopped at IKEA, you get it… 🙂

Once again, dear supporters, pray-ers and friends, we thank YOU that we have been able to fully stock our house. It is feeling very much like a home, and it’s ready for hospitality… pending a call from Jysk furniture store regarding our dining table and chairs…

Church Life (Život s církví)

After missing our first week of church due to the stomach flu, it was a great joy to gather with our new church body these last two Sundays. We’ve waited 10 years to get to call this ‘our church!’

There’s no way around it – adjustment, patience, grace, and humility will be in high demand for our first handful of years here. While we can’t understand what is being preached yet, Claire and I are studying the sermon passages on our own together throughout the week. We are doing this so we can grow alongside the church, under God’s word, even if we can’t understand the sermons. We’re wrapping up Romans 8 over the next few weeks.

The church members have warmly welcomed us, and those who can speak English graciously do so with us when it’s appropriate. Friendships are already beginning to form with a few people as well! We are eager to begin formally learning Czech in July!

Next Friday, 29 June, is English Camp! Teams from several states in the U.S. are coming to help. It’s a great production, and a huge opportunity for evangelism and church strengthening. Please pray for this!

Other things… (Další věci)

The Czechs know how to do parks! We’ve visited a handful of them. They definitely prize outdoor activities here, and the kids love them.

We’ve already frequented a great local coffee shop, and we hope to build relationships with the workers there as we frequent it.

Our neighbours invited us to a block party next Saturday night. We might not be able to go due to English Camp, but we are thankful that there are relational/Gospel opportunities there too!

We don’t own a cat, but we have a cat that visits every day. She’s white… We’ve named her President Snow because we don’t know her real name. The kids play with her all the time.

Ticks are a big thing here… Yuck. We already had to carefully pull one off of (correction, out of) Millie… So far so good.

We’ve sent off our passports to be stamped for our visas. Pray that happens quickly and smoothly so we get get all our documents back promptly!

We’re learning how we all need to grow in the fruits of the Spirit toward one another (Galatians 5:22-23). Being in a steady state of ‘uncomfortable and tired’ brings out fleshly challenges. We’re seeking the Lord’s grace each day to respond to these things with Christ-likeness. Please pray for us!

Until Next Time

We will take another week or so of settling in. July will bring more change, but thankfully some consistency once again with Czech lessons becoming our primary focus.

Thank you all again for your love, care, and support. Remember that as you continue to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 6:33) through your support of us and your own daily obedience to him, God will continue to add to you all the daily grace for life and godliness you need.

May we each continue to learn what it means to take up our cross daily to follow him, according to his word and his Spirit.

Until next time…