Hello friends and family!
I thought I would share a few stories and experiences that really touched my heart while we were in Prague serving the gypsy kids. Craig and I are so thankful and we feel really blessed to have gotten the experience of going to Prague. Thank you to all who supported us financially and through prayers and love. Most of the time in Prague I worked with the kids and Craig did construction work with most of the other guys. There was a lot to do and most of it was heavy lifting and heavy machinery oriented. I did work with them a few days which was really fun! I got to jackhammer and hammer and shovel brick. I can't imagine doing that kind of work everyday. I have a new appreciation for construction workers!
One of the night I went with some of the guys from out team to hang out with high school kids that are involved in Young Life in Prague. It was really cool to meet them and hear what God is doing in their lives. We mostly just hung out and played games. The girls sat and talked. I met a girl my age named Zorka who is studying psychology (same as me!) in the city. Lucky for them they don't have to pay for college! It was such a fun night, but my favorite part was sharing my story at dinner. I realized the impact that our stories have on each other, and I also realized that we don't share them enough! I truly believe that things happen to us so we can share them with each other. Community is so important.
On our last day we walked through the house of hope that we had been working on all week and prayed in each room. It was such an impactful moment for our team! Just to not only work on something all week but then pray for what would happen next. After that we went in the attic, which is mostly finished from Axis working on it throughout the months, we prayed in English and Czech, which was sooo cool! It was powerful to hear the languages blend together in praise to God.
I loved the children. They were full of joy and laughter like all kids are. We played games and danced and sang songs. I loved singing "Open the eyes of my heart Lord" in the community center. We sang in English and then they followed in Czech. What a powerful experience that brought tears to my eyes. It was utterly lovely.
There are soo many stories to tell and I would love to talk about them more. I realized a few things on the trip about myself.
1. I love serving. Serving is truly the best way that I can give back to God.
2. I truly feel God calling me to be a leader. I know he has big plans for my life and I'm excited to see what they are...
3. I love serving and working with Craig. It was soo cool to see our different gifts and build off each other. It helped so much to have him there, because I did get a little homesick, but he was my home away from home.
4. I do not think I will live in Illinois all my life. Although someday I would love to "settle" down in the burbs, I just really don't think that's God's plan for me. Luckily I'm with an amazing guy that supports me no matter what!
Lots of learning and growing! Excited for this next year!
Love,
Mel
