As holidays come and pass this season, I have to say that the time I enjoyed the most was not Christmas day or the upcoming New Years party I will inevitably be at Wednesday night, nor was it spending time with the family (which I do love to do), but rather the most enjoyable time I found this holiday season was in the solitude it brought with having no classes to attend or shifts to work. Sadly this is something that has seemed to disappear over the course of this past semester in school as there was always something I should have been doing. I have thoroughly enjoyed being in solitude with God this past week and a half in prayer and in the Bible and also in reading Humility by Andrew Murray. The subsequent thoughts, ideas, and challenges the previous four have provided me these past days have also been something that I have found to be provoking on spiritual, emotional, and physical levels, and thus a welcomed change in my life as it questions concepts that I have held fast to for years. This is not to say that I completely changed my way of thinking and how I view life, but rather I have tweaked my views and thinking to be more in line with the truths that God laid down. Spiritual growth is not a static thing but rather it is dynamic and directly impacts a person's emotional and physical being as well as how the person's view on life and what surrounds him or her.

So why have we gone to great strides to make our lives easier but in the process add more junk in where we have saved time with technology. To some it is a matter of image, to others it is the difference between being full or hungry. We have strayed from being dependent on God to being independent and self-centered. We have become addicted to the fast-paced whirlwind of life around us. So I urge you to take time and seek simplicity this holiday season and forget about what has to be done, even if it is only for a moment....

Over the past few weeks I have been reading Humility by Andrew Murray and I just wanted to share here some quotes that my mind has been chewing on.

...it is not sin that humbles but grace.

Humility, the place of entire dependence upon God, is from the very nature of things the first duty and the highest virtue of His creatures.

It is pride that made redemption necessary; it is from our pride that we need, above everything else, to be redeemed.

A lesson of deepest importance is that the only humility that is really ours is not the kind we try to show before God in prayer, but the kind we carry with us, and carry out, in our ordinary conduct.

The presence of God is not dependent upon times and seasons, but upon a soul ready to do His will and forget itself.

Being occupied with self, even having the deepest self-abhorrence, can never free us from self.

As we see how in their very nature pride and faith are irreconcilably at odds, we learn that faith and humility are at their root one, and that we can never have more of true faith than we have of true humility.

...How can I die to self? Death to self is not your work; it is God's work.

Nature never can overcome nature, not even with the help of grace. Self can never cast out self, even in the regenerate man.

Through trials and failures and troubles, [God] seeks to bring us to the place where His grace is everything.

Make [God's] glory your motivation to humble yourself; He will make your glory His motivation to perfect your humility.

This past semester of college has seen myself get derailed a number of times due to unforeseen or unexpected circumstances. Thus I find myself on tracks that I did not expect to find myself on. However, I am beginning to see the good in these changes. School has been extended a semester longer but now I will have my summers open and free. Options have opened up to go to Poland and possibly the Czech Republic as well. Most likely I'll be at ASU next fall but there is an option for other places....

For now, I will stay on the current track I'm on at this moment, this season of my life. I will stay this direction until God moves me either forcefully or through new avenues that may open down the line. As of now, I submit my self to God's will and trust in what He is doing and head towards....

the unknown.

as there are many fish in the sea.

Upon driving to ASU this morning to meet with my Saudi Arabian conversation partners, I heard a typical comment that one would hear during the Christmas holiday season on the radio.

"....as we get into the spirit of giving this season"

I must have missed the memo again....apparently society has decided that giving is not a year-wide expression to hold on to. Alright, I'm being melodramatic but it does not diminish the fact that something is inherently wrong with the aforementioned statement. I think this points to the depressing reality that society as a whole tends to promote materialism and possessiveness.

The question I press then is "should we not be generous other times of the year?" Or is Christmas relegated to be the sole time of year to have the 'spirit of giving'?

I'm lost when it comes to a lot of things:

• computer programming
  
• good music
• bad food
• attracting a significant other
• Rubik's cubes
• playing musical instruments
  

If someone were to ask where I see myself in the future, the daydreaming side of myself would easily say that I am graduated from Arizona State University with a baccalaureate degree in nursing and working at a hospital while also raising a family. However, I have to disagree with myself as the realistic side of myself would say that I have no idea what will happen in the near future. I am going to side with my realistic side here. I feel that the direction I am heading in is the correct direction. I cannot expect to stay heading in that one direction until I get to whatever goal I am hoping to achieve. There will be situations and events that will throw me off my course.....for better or worse.

At the moment however, I feel lost. I know what I want my end goal to be but how do I get there? What direction do I take? Are there other goals to travel to on the way? The irony of writing this is that the song "Trust" by Sixpence None the Richer just finished playing a moment ago. Below is some of the lyrics that I should take to heart.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
lean not on your own understanding
in all of your ways acknowledge Him
and He will make your paths straight
don't worry about tomorrow
He's got it under control
just trust in the Lord with all of your heart
and He will carry you through

Clouds....

The wind takes them across vast lands....

Humans....

Their conduct and choices dictate what they face....

Self....

God continues to to guide and teach through trials

As of lately, thoughts of the word 'expectation' has been circulating in my mind. All of us have expectations about everything. We expect other drivers on the road to drive without running into us. We expect ourselves to get hungry in the morning, around noon, and around nightfall. We even expect friends to behave or respond in a specific way. So are expectations good to have or are they a hindrance?

Yes and no.

Expectations are good to have of differently people when it comes to getting tasks done. You would not want to put someone in charge of a task for which they are not trained in or knowledgeable about. It is the complete opposite in that you want to put someone in charge of an assignment for which they are capable and competent in completing. This is great for employees and volunteers but when it comes to friends you can't place expectations on them.

I have found my self in a number of situations in which I have placed expectations on people without vocalizing them. In my case, this leads me to being upset and frustrated or just plain confused in regards to the actual reality of the situation. Not good. However, I should clarify even further that I am referring to when we hold expectations with our human (selfish) desires at the forefront. Selfishly, we want things to happen and work themselves out but only if it happens according to our wishes. I must pray against this and watch myself as I have found it is very easy for me to slip in this area and hold selfish expectations of close friends.

It needs to be made clear that it is not sin that humbles but grace. It is the soul occupied with God in His wonderful glory as Creator and Redeemer that will truly take the lowest place before Him.

--Andrew Murray

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

--God

Isaiah 55:10-11

The bible is not merely words on a piece of paper or parchament but rather it is to be revered as the spoken word of God who manifested His words by means of specifically picked authors at specific points in time. God's spoken word in the bible is as powerful today as it was when He first spoke it.

What happens when all of a person's dreams for the future and their confidence becomes shattered? What happens when man's plans begin to deteriorate and fall apart? What is left? Our human desires give way to the desire of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God shows us where are weaknesses and fault lines lie, not to guilt us and show us how bad or off the mark we are, but as a means to bring us back to Him and His perfect plan. For me, this past week I have seen my plans for the spring and summer change outside of my control and efforts. My confidence in my own strength and plans has been shattered. However, I am not destroyed. I have been crumbled in many ways but I am not hopeless. My confidence in my own abilities is shaken but not in God's sovereignty. God has a plan that includes me. God will build into His servant all that is necessary to complete His plan. I will not be lacking in anything that God calls me to. My hope is in Him as I am human and I will fail. How good it is to be able to place my life in God's care as I am confident that He knows best. The cracks and decay in my life will be repaired, not by my efforts, but by Christ in regards to what He is calling me to. I may not have made it into Arizona State University's nursing program for this coming spring, but maybe come fall, it will turn into reality.

As of lately (this weekend especially), I went from feeling so sure of myself and pretty sure of what I was going to be doing this coming semester to not knowing what these next few years will hold and what I had hoped to take place dashed against the rocks of reality. The more I try to make sense of it all, the more I realize that at this point in time I will never fully know the implications of my denial into the upper division nursing program at ASU. To be quite frank, it feels as though the light of present knowledge is being encroached upon by the shadows of an uncertain future.

Stripped of something that I considered valuable, I'm at a loss for what to do. I perceive my self to be lost without some semblence of direction. However, I am sure that from God's perspective I am right where He wants me to be. I may not know where that is at the moment but I have to trust Him. There is no other option.

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

There is one thing that I have been neglecting to do these past few weeks. It is not spending time with God in His word. It is not school work. It is not spending time with family. It is not commitment to the student ministries at church. What I have been neglecting is something that American society as a whole has seemed to devalue as time has passed. What I am referencing is reflection on what is happening around me and who is in my life at this moment. Even in the midst of this turbulent time with school, church, and, as of recently, work, I still need to take time to look at life as it is happening around me. In doing so, I see more than just my life but the lives of others. I try to imagine what other people are doing in situations. Why are they there? I wonder to myself, what drives them to get through the day? What is there motivation? For me, the answer is easy as it is to live for God. I cannot speak for others but after realizing this, I come to see the peace and security I have laid in Christ no matter what my circumstances are. That alone brings a comfort to me that is not laid upon material things. The comfort I am speaking about is that which comes from the knowledge of God's grace. Nothing can surpass comfort that has knowledge of God as it's foundation. So in getting myself out of and above the soup that I refer to as life here, I am able to see what is around me and more importantly it allows me to see that God is above it all. God's glory and sovereignty is manifested in a distinct and sharply defined way that is beyond the scope of understanding of our minds. We realize the distinction exists but cannot fully grasp the complexity and reach of it both in the physical and metaphysical sense. God illuminates the "soup" in a way I could never conceive of alone with my own eyes. Regardless of this fact, the amount of peace and comfort that God bring to my life is beyond explanation......and I am completely fine with that. There is no need for explanation. Just savor it.

Maybe at one point in your life you have been stripped.....of rank, position, ambition, dignity, or during a search. Regardless, each of these things results in a person being humbled as a consequence of some action taken. Most people would associate these situations as being unfavorable. However, when it comes to my faith, to be humbled, to be stripped of all that I hold in high esteem in regards to my character and values is a good thing. It is far too easy to forget about what is important in life (God) and to spend time, money, and focus on. God makes known to me what my focus and priorities are in life and whether they are in line with His desires for my life through such experiences. Life is more than just living to make it through, living to have wealth, and living to be good. Rather, we are called to be obedient to God's calling, not to put it in the back closet to pull out at the end of it all when we deem that we have the time for it. His calling does not cease, it just changes in manifestation.

Luke 12:15 - The He (Jesus) said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."

After being away from home, friends, and the community that I considered myself to be a part of, it is quite the shock to return and find everything that I once knew has changed drastically. Who could have imagined how much change can take place within a span of 2.5 months? I certainly did not but in some ways I guess I was naive as I knew it would happen, but I never expected to such a degree. At the moment I am at a loss for finding community. Also, I have come to realize that some of my friendships seem to be less than what I thought they were. It is sobering to come back an realize that people who I considered friends have been taking me for granted.

After losing what has been built up over the course of 3 years in one swift move, new community cannot be established as quickly as it was lost. Community takes time to develop as it requires the building of trust and camaraderie through which deep personal connections, support and fellowship grow and thrive. It is my hope that over this next year God will place me where I need to be in terms of community and fellowship, wherever that may be. It is also my hope that God would surround me with friends who truly care about mutuality required in a friendship as one sided friendships are doomed to failure.

At the end of October, the 30th to be exact, Josiah Venture is coming to the Phoenix area to share with people what God has been doing in Europe and what may happen in the near future. It is Josiah Venture's vision to see their ministry double in fruitfulness in three years time. So come and check it out! Its free! All you have to do is RSVP.

Check out the 2x3 Campaign website for more details and to RSVP for the event.


One Percent from Josiah Venture on Vimeo.

Looking back on this summer I can say I am wrought with a mix of emotions in regards to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and home. In those last hours I spent riding the train from Ceske Budejovice to Prague and the subsequent wait in the airport, I was not looking forward to the physical manifestation of home that I call Arizona, but rather I was looking forward to talking with my close friends who I consider to be my actual home. In actuality I could care less about Arizona or the USA. If those that I consider to be close to me moved to another state or country, then I will have lost the community that I call my home.

Going beyond what I realize is home, God taught me more about myself than I could have ever realized going into this summer. God showed me how much we as believers need to be in fellowship with one another. We can be surrounded by many people but unless we have those few select people with who we can go deep with, we are missing something vital. Being transparent with a close friend allows that fellow believer to see your life from a completely different angle than you, speak into it, and be able to encourage you through that way. In no way am I saying that is a means to cut out on time spent with God studying scripture and praying. For me, my time with God was the thing that I desperately clung to to get through the days I was not at a camp.

Also, another thing that I came to realize is my weakness in relating to people I just meet. I'm not horrible but I can quickly deteriorate from doubt and my own insecurities. Usually ends up spiraling down to the point where I would rather withdraw rather than stick around the awkward situations. So for future reference I will have to work on this area and keep from withdrawing during the rough times. I thank God for everything He taught me this summer through being on a small intern team in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. I loved my teammates and continue to do so. There is nothing that I would have traded the hardships of those 2.5 months for.

Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. --Andrew Murray

To see more photos, below are links to 3 albums of photos.

1) Before the start of English camps
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2326207&l=5194f&id=10036145

2) Ceske Budejovice and Strakonice English Camps
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2351822&l=47780&id=10036145

3) Presov English Camp and Debriefing
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2351826&l=8d1ce&id=10036145

21 hours ago I stepped off the plane at Phoenix Sky Harbor to be greeted by the forthcoming heatwave that is known as the Arizona summer. Never before has 100 degrees felt so homely. To wrap up the last weeks worth of events, it started with debriefing in Prague with the other summer interns located in the Czech Republic. It was such an awesome time to be able to talk with and share stories about the summer with the other interns. What was even better was being able to share with each other what we learned and how we grew through the summer. With one of the interns, the change was clearly evident in comparison to the beginning of the summer and such was encouraging to see. Debriefing in general went well with paperwork to fill out in regards to our thoughts and feelings toward the entire summer and each camp specifically. Getting on to more interesting stuff, my intern team had our last dinner together on Saturday during which we spend the time going over how we have seen each other grow this summer and just encourage one another one last time before saying our good byes (at least in regards to being a team together). I am sure that this was not the last time I would see any of them.

Sunday morning at 3:30 am, the interns who were not staying longer left for the airport. For me it was not a problem waking up to say goodbye to them as I never when to sleep. After returning to the Czech Inn Hostel around 1 am, I stayed up working on debriefing paperwork and team finances (fun stuff). After seeing them off, I went to bed for 4 hours and then woke up, said my goodbyes to my team and whoever was up and I left for the train station with the final destination being Ceske Budejovice. I spent a few days in CB with my friend Ondra and his family. I am so glad that I decided to stay the few extra days as it was so great to be able to have conversations with Ondra about different issues in our lives. This time was encouraging for me and I can only hope that it was just as or more encouraging for him. Also, it was great to meet up with some of the students from camp to play pool or bowl. As for staying at Ondra's place, it was awesome. His family was so hospitable and generous towards me that I hope to be as kind to others as they were to me. I thank God for them. At 9 pm my time in Ceske Budejovice came to end as the train pulled out of the station and I said my final goodbye (for now) to Ondra. Someday within the next 2 years I hope to return to the Czech Republic.

The train pulled into the Prague train station at midnight and from there I worked my way over to the airport with some difficulty. I could not find where a certain bus stop was and so I ended up walking to Namesti Republiky to catch the tram headed towards the airport. Finally at 1:45 am I reached the airport and proceeded to stay awake for the night as had an early flight out. So walking through the airport, it came at me by surprise when I found my self in front of a Starbucks. They are like body hair, they can be found just about everywhere. Well, putting my ill thoughts of the company aside, I stepped up to the counter to order a venti caffe latte as I needed caffeine. I quickly noticed that the price of the venti caffe latte when converted to dollars was roughly $7. Ouch! After a bit of rationalizing, I decided to bite the cost (besides I needed to get rid of the currency) and order it. Well I milked that cup for the next hour while I sat and waited in Starbucks for time to pass. While enjoying my $7 cup of coffee (you in the States have no room to complain), I spotted the Prague Starbucks coffee mugs and decided to get one for my brother. In doing so, Starbucks gave me another free coffee, anything I wanted, so another caffe latte later, I was wired with no chance of falling asleep. 3 flights later, I landed in Phoenix. It is good to be home from a great summer in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Three days ago Presov Slovakia camp ended and I returned with the team to Strakonice for the very last time this summer. However, getting here was quite the trip. After spending one night in Presov, our team broke into two groups to travel back to the Czech Republic. Josh and Aubree took a route through Bratislava so that Aubree could sign paperwork in regards to her extended visa. Leah and I took a route going through Zilina with the ultimate goal of going through Cesky Tesin and Olomouc. The route was set up this way on purpose for I planned on meeting two friend from home on the train starting at Cesky Tesin and ending at Olomouc. Everything worked out well and I was able to meet with Thomas and Stephanie and spend almost 2 hours in conversation with them. Talking to them was uplifting and encouraging for me as I had not been in face-to-face contact with anyone from home since Ceske Budejovice camp which was at the end of June. I am so glad that everything worked out so well and smooth....at least up to that point. Eventually the train reached Prague but we were 10 minutes late. We then had to rush over to the bus station but arrived 10 minutes after our bus to Strakonice was scheduled to leave. With no options left in regards to reaching Strakonice, we headed over to the Czech Inn to get some sleep before continuing on in the morning. At the Czech Inn, we met some of the other summer interns who were staying in Prague for the few days preceding debriefing. After reaching Strakonice, I spent our last day there at a party during which I said my good byes to the students that I had come to know from being at camp. It was a great end to the many weeks that I spent living in Strakonice during this summer.

Looking back on the camp that just finished, I can say that it sure was interesting. Every day had a full schedule of activities and other events which left little free time for people to gain some during. However, the camp was a lot of fun. The evening program was awesome and the various speakers did an awesome job. I personally would hope that the evening programs that students ministries camps back home would be as fun and attention grabbing as those I experienced last week were. The one thing I missed at this camp though was the lack of discussion groups. I felt that it was a lot harder to bring up the speaker's topics in a one-on-one setting. I think that a group discussion might have worked better. Beyond all of that, the camp was good and it was a lot of fun. The location of the camp was on the top of a ski mountain so it had quite the view. So the last night (read as morning), I went with a group of people to the top to watch the sun rise above the trees. Two other guys and myself helped carry another intern up to the top since she had hurt her ankle and could not walk on it. Nevertheless, the view as terrific. What a great camp to end the summer on.

Today is the last day of camp. This week has been so hectic and crazy that I have not been able to sit down and write an update earlier due to time constraints and for the basic fact that it was not my priority to get an update out while at camp when I could be spending the time with students. So here I find myself still awake at 4am writing quick update of a long week.

This has been a difficult camp for reasons not typically associated with the second camp. Usually, the second camp is harder due to it being in the middle and us interns not having much motivation for it if the previous camp went extremely well (which it did). In my view, it was none of these reasons so much as the people from the states that the problems revolved around. The case presented here at this camp dealt with a few strong-willed leaders seemingly railroad the Czech team leader at different times. This created tension between the 4 different teams which could have been avoided in the first place. Also, at times I found my disagreeing with the way in which the speaker spoke. Never before have I heard a speaker be so frank in bashing the US. While yes there are things that the US has done that I don't fully agree with, to bash the US is to stereotype the people and thus cause people to have a more negative view than the one they held previously. So without dwelling on the problems faced in this camp too much, there has been a fair amount of conflict but, so far as I know, it has been dealt with accordingly.

Looking past all the difficulties experienced at this camp, I believe that God is at work in Strakonice. I think that many of the students are still wrestling with the truths that were presented here at camp and that a decision will be made in the future, but not that this current time. Who are we to decide how and when God will grow a person in understanding and fruit? We cannot and thus we have to trust in Him.

Well the next few days will be follow-up so I am hoping that a good number of students will join us in the planned activities. Follwing follow-up, we interns will be heading to Oloumoc to gain some rest before leaving for Slovakia. Continue to be praying for strength and continued unity for our small intern team.

Here we are, back in Strakonice for 2 days to relax and recoup strength before we head back to Malenovice for training with the American teams that are going to be helping out at the Strakonice English Camp. So a few things that you can be praying for is that me and the rest of the team will be fully rested before camp starts this coming Saturday. I have been told that the second camp of the summer is typically the roughest one due to being in the middle and with having another camp to compare to. Knowing that, I will be trying hard to head into this camp with the mindset of it being a blank slate that has yet to be filled out. Each camp is unique and should never be compared to another as that can cause me and the other interns to lose our focus and motivation. With all of that in mind though, I am really looking forward to being at a new camp and to meeting new people.

As much I am looking forward to the next camp, I cannot forget what I just came from. To follow up on the Ceske Budejovice camp in a few words, it was awesome. I'm so glad to have come back to the Czech Republic and meet people that I met two years ago.  It was so encouraging to see them again and see what God was doing in their lives.  I will continue to stay connected to them through the internet and hope that I may somehow continue to encourage them in all that they are doing in Ceske Budejovice and the Czech Republic.  Beyond just seeing old friends, the camp was great.

Thinking back over the past week, we did a lot in a short amount of time that seemed to have passed far too quickly.  The english lessons that the AZ team from my home church prepared were great and the students had an awesome time during class.  The daily discussion groups were also really great, they were never completely in English but they were still good and we had some interesting conversations about life, ourselves, and spiritual matters (ie: heaven and hell).  In the middle of the week, we went on a hike with the destination being a watchtower on a forested hill overlooking the surrounding area dotted with small villages.  Through all of the different events and activities, the best part of all of them was the time spent with the students.  Also, since the week was pretty crazy and I didn't get much sleep, I could see God working through all of it, giving me, my team, and the other teams energy to have fun with the students and build connections with them.  I should also mention that throughout most of the week, a lot of the leaders were sick with a cold or flu, but God was amazing and gave them the strength to carry on and not let them get depressed with themselves.

Our time living here in Strakonice has come to a close. This evening we will be leaving for the Ceske Budejovice camp and will meet up with the Grace Community Church team tonight at the campgrounds. While I might not have expressed how excited I am to be seeing them, I am thrilled to finally get the chance to talk with an old friend about issues that have come up since I left at the end of May. Oh I cannot wait to see them tonight!

For the past few days here we have been just as busy as usual. It seems that we've had at least one person, if not more, over for dinner these past few nights. This has been great as we've had so many opportunities to pour encouragement into the youth group here in Strakonice through the conversations we have had with students. Two nights ago we hosted a parents party so that the parents of students in the youth group could understand better what camp is all about and learn a little bit about the differences between Czech and American culture. That specifically was a lot of fun as we broke into small groups to act out different American cultural stereotypes. The day previous though, I got the chance to go biking with a Czech and so I took the offer. What an amazing time that was as I got to learn more about him and how he had come to be so involved in the local church. What an experience that was to be talking about our lives while riding through the Czech countryside.

As I said before, we will be leaving for camp tonight so be praying that this next week will be awesome. I believe that God will do amazing things this summer!

Most nights that I go out by my self, I am usually being driven by a need to either escape the presence of people or to contemplate different thoughts or both. As of lately it seems to be that I have been seeking to escape the presence of my teammates, whom I love and care for deeply. I cannot be around them at night for specific reasons, namely for the reason that I do not want to think negatively of them. So I leave, get some fresh air, then go to bed. However, last night was unusual. Instead of being mopey and depressed about feeling exclusion from my two teammates, I was filled with a strange sense of peace about everything that was going on and even with my own life. Standing on the bridge at 3am, overlooking the river that runs through Strakonice, gazing downriver in the full moon light, I realized that no matter what is thrown my way, God is ultimately in control. He is my comfort and my joy in both the easy going times and the hard times. Thinking through the events, situations, and issues of the past 2 weeks, I am still at a crossroads of how to handle certain things but in the process of thinking about it all, I was not holding onto bitterness. Moving on to other thoughts, namely past relationships and the affect they had on my life, I came to realize that they all played a key part in my learning something. This carried on to thinking about the future of my life. But as I got into it, again I realized that God is in control of it, always has been and always will be. And again, I could feel peace rising up in my soul and spirit, for a short while at least.

The days have been great here in Strakonice, CZ. We've been connecting with students from the youth group here through activities that we plan but also through different events the students themselves host (movie night). Yesterday afternoon we had an awesome time hanging out with students while playing different sports and games. We played some ultimate frisbee, basketball, and the game of signs. While it was fun to be with the students from the youth group, it was even more awesome to hang out with a guy that we met while playing the games. He saw us playing signs and asked if he could join in. Well, he wasn't too weirded out and accepted our invitation to come to dinner with us that night. Through conversing with him, we found out that he had been looking for people that he could talk to about different current events, issues, and even some philosophical and religious ideas. We are hoping that he continues to seek out a few of the local students to talk to about such things and hopefully through them, see the love of Christ. This is what I am here for. This is the purpose of it all. To seek out students, build up connections with them, and share with them the love that is found in Christ. Everyone is hurting in someway, yet the glory of it all is found in God's redemption through Christ's death and subsequent resurrection.

As of Monday this week, we arrived in Strakonice, our home for the next few weeks.  Ironically enough however, Josh and I left the next day to accompany Aubree on a trip to Ceske Tesin where she had to take care of some paperwork.  We spent the next 2 nights in Ceske Tesin (us guys at Nate's and Aubree at Lucka's).  At this point, I have traveled across this country 4 times now from one side to the other.  I am now very confident that I could travel to any place in the Czech Republic without too much hassle.  Major props to the czech transit system.

These last 2 days found us in Pisek, spending time at a town festival with youth from nearby cities and youth groups.  It was a great opportunity for us to meet people we will be working with in the coming month of July as well as continue to build friendships with some of the youth we met in Ceske Budejovice last weekend when we went down there to spend time with the youth group located there.  While in Ceske Budejovice, I was able to meet up with some of the people I met 2 years ago.  It was so awesome to be able to see some familiar faces again.  At the Pisek festival, the youth group was able to get some time on one of the stages that were setup so it was awesome to be there and support the group with their music performance.  The best part about it was that it was relaxing event to the end of a busy 2 weeks.  Also, I learned to not expect the sun to always come out like it does in Phoenix so needless to say, yesterday was a cold day.  So as of yesterday, we have 2 weeks until the start of the first camp, which is the Ceske Budejovice camp.  I'm looking forward to seeing the team coming my home church, Grace Community Church.  Until then though, there is lots to do here in Strakonice as well as in other parts of the country.

Today marks the end of summer intern training week at Malenovice in eastern Czech Republic. So all of the intern teams working in the Czech Republic this summer have been using the day to see the other teams off, relax, and continue to build friendships between each other before heading out on Friday morning. But these last few days have been pretty great. The only thing that has overshadowed this week is the passing of Dan, an old mentor/volunteer of the high school group. While this is a sorroful event, it is at the same time filled with joy for he knew Christ as his Savior. Dan knew where he was coming from and where he was going, to spend eternity with God and His glory.

This last monday night however, our team finally became complete with the arrival of our teammate Aubree. This did not come without stress though. She was supposed to get in at the Frydland train station at 11:45pm but that time came and passed. We ended up driving to the next three stations down the line looking for her but did not find her. After that, we get on the road to the town of Ostrava to see if she missed the train but en route we received a phone call telling us she that she had just reached the Frydland on the last train of the night at 1:45 am. We quickly made a U-turn and picked her up at the station...running over a hedgehog in the process. Finally, our team became complete. Well, its almost dinner time over here (9 hours ahead of Arizona time) so I'll throw up another update sometime next week.

To all who know me back home, I arrived safely in the Czech Republic this past Wednesday (5/28) around 12 noon. The flights went well amid running across London's Heathrow airport to catch the plane to Prague. I then spent the next few days with my teammate Josh and our team leader Leah traveling across the Czech Republic in a race against the other intern teams to reach the final destination of Malenovice, which is on the eastern edge of the country. Sadly we did not win the race. The race was awesome in that it put our team in situations that tested how well we interacted with one another and showed some areas where we are weak. Also, the race allowed us to get to know each other really well and I am excited to be on a team with them. Tomorrow, the last member of our team will arrive and then our team for this summer will be complete.

So as of now, I have been at Malenovice since Friday night and am currently in the middle of intern training for this summer. It has been a great few days getting to know the other interns and where they will be going to serve this summer. There are some awesome people that God brought to eastern europe this summer. In a couple days, my team and I will be traveling to Strakonice, which is in the southern portion of the country. In Strakonice, we will be going around to schools and promoting the english camps. Then in the end of June, I will get to see the 2-week team from Grace in Ceske Budejovice, of which I am excited for.

I am down to having 90 hours (3.5 days) left before I depart for the Czech Republic. I am excited to be leaving but I think my teammate said it best when she said "it is almost surreal." There are so many things I have yet to finish (packing and such) before I leave with not quite enough time, but on the other hand, Tuesday morning seems to be taking its time getting here.

When I reach Prague on Wednesday, I will be thrown into a race, similar to tv show The Amazing Race, with the other summer interns to reach Malenovice, which is conveniently located on the opposite side of the country.

To give you an update on new information, I will be helping to run 3 different camps this summer. Two of them will be in the Czech Republic at Ceske Budejovice and Strakonice. The third and last camp will be in Slovakia. This is going to be a busy, yet amazing, summer!

Update: I am now fully funded for this summer. Thank you to all who helped make this possible. However, if you are interested in any of the photographs, just let me know and we'll work something out.

As many of you may know, I will be going to the Czech Republic this summer to be an intern with Josiah Venture for roughly the whole summer. I will be working with local students in a summer camp setting, helping them with their english and playing sports with them. Currently I am trying to raise money so that I can go. Right now I am sitting at $1310 of a roughly $4000 needed.

So in order to raise more money for this trip, I have decided to open up my photographs for sale. Any profit that comes from selling my photographs will go towards this trip. To view my photographs, go to my flickr page. Now I do not have the best of technology so if you want to help me out and buy a photograph, please contact me by phone or email.

Prices:

• $60 for any 8x10 print


• $120 for any framed 8x10 print


• Custom Orders Possible

However, since I am not making money off of this, please don't feel as though you are boxed in by my prices. I will take any amount as long as the minimum is met.