The season in pictures

What better way to capture the last few weeks than through pictures? Let's start at the beginning...

We picked up Tyler at the airport... Christmas could really start now!

Our family all together again for the season! We got to take a special trip to Vienna three days before Christmas. We visited the Christmas markets, an Israeli restaurant, and Starbucks too! 

Ahh...Vienna. Even though it was cold and wet, it was beautiful. This is one of the Christmas markets.

Of course,  I had to have some roasted chestnuts at the Christmas market- my favorite! My dad was sweet and bought me some. :)

Vienna has some amazing Christmas ornaments!

The best Bratwurst EVER!

And it doesn't end here...

Pictures continued...

Our Christmas tree this year was fresh from our yard! 

An annual picture on New Year's with Hannah and Hayley. :)

What a great New Year's celebration it was with my family and the Ellenwoods up at Selah!

One last family picture before Tyler left.

A little fun with my brothers! 

You guys are great...

I'll miss having Tyler around...but wish him all the best at Moody this semester!

May 2011 be full of great memories and sweet surprises for you! 

A book of faith

Have you ever read a story that inspired you in your relationship with God?

I just finished reading a missionary biography that a friend of mine lent me, named "Evidence Not Seen". Darlene Deibler Rose was a missionary in New Guinea, when WW2 broke out. She was separated from her husband and moved to a Japanese camp for women and children. The story revolves around her being a prisoner of war, and all the hardships she had to go through. 

Darlene's faith in this book completely overwhelms me. She constantly sought Jesus throughout her whole journey and never once failed to trust in Him as her Deliverer and Friend. Though she was almost starved, was working well beyond her own strength, and was emotionally and physically exhausted, she always knew her Savior was there for her.

While in the camp, Darlene held devotions and prayer in her barracks. She told people about the Lord whenever she could. This just amazes me...that she thought about sharing the Lord's work and her mission even in suffering! I want to be like her! When hardship comes, I want to be in the middle of God's will. I hope to stand firm in His promises for my life. I would want to encourage others to trust in Him.

What would you do if you were a prisoner of war?

I honestly can't imagine going through what she did, without totally falling apart. But I have faith in God that He would take care of me no matter what. Where He wants me to be, that's where I'll go. His plan for my life is the best one!

I would really recommend reading this book. There are some pretty intense parts, that just about broke my heart, but to see God's faithfulness was amazing. 

One of Darlene's favorite psalms to quote during her imprisonment was Psalm 27:

" ¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation—
   whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
   of whom shall I be afraid?
 ² When the wicked advance against me
   to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
   who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
   my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
   even then I will be confident. ...

¹⁴ Wait for the LORD;
   be strong and take heart
   and wait for the LORD."

Darlene waited. And she lived to the day when she returned to her home. And later, even after all of those bad memories from her 4 years of imprisonment, she returned to the East Indies to continue missions. She returned. That is one courageous woman. And God wasn't done with the work He had prepared for her in New Guinea, so he called her there again. And she answered. Now that is inspiring.

Pigmoid people that Darlene ministered to

Thanksgiving is a happy time

Oh, how fun it is to celebrate Thanksgiving! 


For as long as I can remember, I have always spent Thanksgiving with my JV family. Over the years, though the conferences have changed as people come and go, JV still feels like my close family. We spend time chatting, preparing food, watching the guys (and some girls too!) play our own Turkey Bowl and, of course, eating a wonderful feast (I might as well call it that!).

With my dear friends Katka and Hayley

It's nice to to break up the usually uneventful month of November. The delicious smells that come with special food cheer me up. Catching up with friends from Slovakia, Poland and all over Czech is refreshing. And how great is it to remember all the things we can be thankful for! 

I am thankful for God's unending mercy, for his love, and constant companionship. I am thankful that I get to be a part of the mission that He has for me and my family in Czech right now. I am thankful for friends and fellowship.

Not only did I celebrate Thanksgiving with my JV family this year, but also with my youth group here in Frydlant. It's a completely different experience, because technically Thanksgiving isn't a Czech holiday! These Czechs wouldn't celebrate it at all if it weren't for the Americans living here! 

What I liked about it, was that it wasn't about the traditions of food, but more about the fellowship and time of thankfulness. It was fun celebrating a holiday with them that's close to my heart!

Just had to put this one in! This is a pie that my mom made that I couldn't get enough of!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time for me to begin thinking about what I am really most thankful for: God's own Son- Jesus. In under a month we celebrate Jesus' birth, and that is so special! Thank you Jesus, for saving us! And thank you God, for loving us so much that you sent your Son!!

Video of Sluskolona

The first dance- the valcik with the flowers that the guys gave the girls

Here's a video so you can picture what it was like at the ball! 

Šluskolona and dance lessons

Yesterday, I had a wonderful time at my very own ball. Well, ok...it wasn't only my ball, but I got to participate in it along with around 70 other high-schoolers from our town!

Here's what the ballroom looks like. In this one we're doing a Greek dance!

There is a Czech tradition here for high-schoolers to take ballroom dance lessons in the fall. You can either go with a partner or get paired at random at the first lesson (of course, I chose to go with someone I knew, rather than a stranger- awkward!). It's something that is optional, but so worth it, and really fun too! I took these lessons with my fellow JVK, Noah Ellenwood, which was great, because we're like cousins, so it wasn't awkward at all! 

For two months we took classes every Friday (and sometimes on Sunday) and learned how to jive, cha-cha, polka and waltz. We also learned some country dances, rock-n'-roll, the valčík, mazurka and čardáš (a typical dance from this area) and more. It was exhausting, but great! 

On my birthday! 

Half-way through our lessons we had a "pulkolona" ball, which happened to fall right on my birthday! What a special occasion to have on my sweet 16! That will definitely be a memorable birthday!

Then yesterday came the big day. In Czech, it is quite a big occasion. The teacher even compared it to your wedding. Ha...yeah right! It was pretty special though. We had a grand opening of the classic promenade and then danced our way through 3 hours of the evening. There were dances where we danced with our parents, our partner's parents, in groups, and also free-style! All in all, I loved the entire event. 

Thanks Noah for being a great partner!

It was made even better by my dear friends and family who came to support me, and my fellow dancers that I had spent so much time with! Some of my own classmates were a part of the sluskolona as well, so we had a wonderful time together throughout the whole process of what they call "taneční" (=dancing).

After all that work for two months, it's strange that it's over. I hope that some day I can use my ballroom dancing "skills"! It's such a fun thing to have gotten to do, and I'm so happy that this tradition lives on in Czech. If you ever get the chance to take basic ballroom lessons, take it. It's a marvelous experience.


Here's a few more pictures:

The last step of the promenade...the bow and curtsy!

The "valcik"

Thanks so much Emily for doing my hair! And thank you Caleb for taking some awesome pictures!

Oh yes...the polka. We had fun doing this one...LOTS of turning for me!

Thoughts and Moments of my day

A view of snow-capped Lysa Hora

Outside my window...there is already snow on the mountains, but lovely yellow and brown colors still shine in the valley

I am thinking...about how to organize my studying for fall break. We have vacation this week, but next week have four tests and homework on top of that! I need to rest, but also prepare for next week.

I am thankful...for almond milk! I love that I can still have a latte here and there, even if it's not with normal milk, as I'm lactose-intolerant. Almond milk makes a great substitute, and I can make it myself!

From the kitchen...homemade gluten-free brownies sit on the counter. I made them last night, but didn't have time to fully enjoy them! Hmmm...maybe I want one now! :)

I am wearing...pajamas! I love slow mornings.

I am reading...Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac. It's a book that is on our reading list for school. I'm still at the beginning, so have no idea what it'll be like!

I am hoping...that I can get some rest this break! The past two months have been crazy!

I am going...to listen to a Mark Driscoll sermon today. I download podcasts of his sermons, and they are great!! It's so encouraging to learn more about God and dive deeper into His Word through these sermons.

I am creating...a watercolor picture of lavender fields (in art class at school). This is the first time I've seriously tried out watercolor, and I love using them! There are so many things you can do with them, that I never thought of before!

I am hearing...the treadmill upstairs. The ticking of the clock in our living room. 

I am praying...for healing in many people's bodies these days!

Around the house...Sun beams through the windows for just a few seconds and then hides behind the clouds again. The day has barely started for most of the family...though Caleb is still sleeping, as usual. :)

One of my favorite things...the changing leaves in the fall! I love the brilliant yellows and the occasional reds and oranges. Even the browns are beautiful with the combination of all those colors! 


A few plans for this week...study, relax (watch movies, draw, listen to an audiobook), go to the mall to get a few things. It feels good to not really have any plans though!

A picture I am sharing...the beautiful Beskydy mountains in the fall.