Czech Republic

We've been in Prague for about a day now...we leave for Frankfurt tonight on an overnight bus. It should be GREAT fun!! I've just been looking up the Church of Christ in Frankfurt because Tandy and I were thinking about trying to go tomorrow. I found the address, but I'm not really sure if we'll be able to find our way there or not. We shall see.

Prague is a beautiful city. The architecture is AMAZING. Lots of castles and ornate colorful buildings. Most of my day was spent simply walking around and admiring the view. The hostel that we stayed at was nice enough, and we found a great Bagel restaurant that we've eaten at several times now. In fact, that's where I am as I write this...they're also an internet cafe.

We've basically been going non-stop for over a week now, and I'll admit it...I'm ready to come home!! I miss everybody and I miss consistency. It's almost funny to hear myself say that, normally I despise routine. But a little normalcy would do me good right now.

I can't for the life of me remember what I posted on the last blog so if I repeat anything, forgive me. Elisa met up with us safely and has gotten to know the group quite well. We've learned to function as a group as best we can, and our previous 6 weeks have a great deal to do with that. I think our constant group togetherness was a bit strange to Elisa when she first got here, but I guess that's what happens when you're with the same people for so long. We're like one big group of cranky old married people! :)...no offense to all you old married people out there!

Please keep us in your prayers as we begin our journey home. I can't wait to see everybody! I might be making a short trip to Grants before school starts, perhaps with my roommate Celeste. Hopefully I'll be able to see my Grants peeps soon. I love you all!!

Ciao!!!

Hello from Florence, Italy! We are having a great trip so far. We've there are times when we have absolutely no clue where we are or any idea of where we're going. What a fantabulous challenge! I'm pleased to be in Florence for now because I am fairly familar with the city...and I can help direct the group around. Esteban and I are the unoffical parents of the group, "mom and dad" if you will because we always figure out where to go and where to buy tickets and what not. It's quite funny.

I need to make a retraction regarding a previous blog entitled "Shrek". It has been brought to my attention that the comments I made about Jason were unfounded and "just not even cool". To my dear friend Jason, now referred to as Precious Lamb, I say 1000 apologies...I was mistaken. You look NOTHING like Shrek in that picture, you simply look posessed.

Tomorrow morning we head out for Cinque Terre to spend a few well deserved days at the beach. I plan on taking lots and lots of pictures. The cities there are supposed to be breath-taking.

Love to ALL!!

Psalm 20

IMG_0536,
originally uploaded by emilyJean.

May the Lord andswer you when you are
in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob
protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
We will SHOUT for joy when you are
victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name
of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.

Now I KNOW that the Lord saves his
anointed;
he answers him from his holy heaven
with the saving power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord
our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.

O Lord, save the king!
Answer us when we call!


WE leave for the airport in about 20 minutes. I don't think I'll be able to post anymore photos until we're back in Denton after August 16. In a few hours we fly to Rome. The four of us (Tandy, Jason, Esteban, and I) will be traveling around Italy, Czech Republic, and Germany. My friend Elisa is flying into Rome to meet us as well. I should be able to post at least a few times in the next ten days...but if not, thanks for reading, praying, and supporting! It means the world to me.

I am overwhelmed...

Tallin in One Day

Outside Abbey,
originally uploaded by emilyJean.

Yesterday, we packed as much sight seeing in as possible. It always seems that the more time you have to accomplish something the less you get done. For example, I've been in Tallinn for almost 6 weeks now and until yesterday had only seen one main tourist attraction (old town).

Peter the Great built a small palace for Catherine _______ (I can't remember all of the specifics right now). Currently, the palace is an art museum housing Finnish, Dutch, Estonian, Russian, and German Baroque paintings and sculptures.

After that we walked down to the bay to see a monument. A ferryboat sank in the bay and about 150 people lost their lives. The monument commemorates the lost lives. The monument is just of a main road that runs all along the beach. We followed that road to the Soviet monument, which (as you can imagine) was built to demonstrate Soviet power. I'll admit it was kind of creepy. I've loaded some of the pictures onto flickr, so you can check them out if you want to. All I have to say is...Big Brother is watching you (I was having flash-backs to the novel "1984").

Fortunately, we ended our tour on a much happier note. There is an old abbey further down the road. The building is no longer in use because it has no roof...hence the picture. It's a very peaceful quite place; a great thinking place.

Today we ran errands and had our last volleyball/devo. We had each of the teens write themselves a letter about what they've learned this summer and what they'd like to accomplish this year. We're taking the letters back with us so we can mail them back to Estonia in about 6 months. This was an activity that Butch Whitaker did for me and Meg's class one year. If you've never received a letter from yourself in the mail, then go ahead and write one...send it to me (2320 Palmer Dr., Denton, 76209) and I'll make sure you get it in 6 months. Then you'll know what I'm talking about.

Tomorrow is our last full day. Last minute shopping. Laundry. Toenail painting. Packing. Pirate party. Kringle (my new favorite Russian pastry)... In that order.

Ha Ha Ha Ha

Me Glasses 2,
originally uploaded by emilyJean.

Well we are officially winding down. Things will be kind of slow this week because a lot of our kids are leaving town on vacation. I think I might have already stated that in an earlier blog. Last night we celebrated 3 birthdays at the Banks' house...Jill (let's start talking), Iiris (church teen), and Jason (Denton team). Jill and Jason actually have the same birthday amazingly enough.

Jill just found out she's been accepted to optometry school, so Jaime Banks bought her these funny glasses. We were pretty tired the day she bought them, and we all know how everything is much MUCH funnier when you're sleep deprived. We laughed over these glasses for a loooong time.

We took pictures of everyone wearing them-so if you click on the photo it will take you to the other pictures.

This week we will finish up with our Wednesday night devo and volleyball. We're going to try and come up with something really cool and interactive for the devo. Last week was really great, and I'd like to follow up with something that the kids can get really involved with. I will miss all of them a lot. It's strange to think that I may never see any of them again!

We did get to see 2 of the girls get baptized in the sea on Friday. It was very cool. They were wear white robes and had to walk far out into the water because the water is very shallow. Everybody brings flowers to give them after the baptism. Unfortunately I forgot my camera. Tandy got some good pics, so hopefully I'll be able to download those.

Love, love, love, love, the gospel in a word is love...I always thought that song sounded Russian (the melody, duh). Oddly enough we sing it every Sunday at the Russian church. Go figure.

A Week of "Lasts"

Waterfall Group,
originally uploaded by emilyJean.

Today we took a trip to a waterfall, which is about a 30-minute bus ride from Tallinn. You can see the group that went in the picture! Kameron (the Banks' nephew), Keri Banks, Peeter, Tandy, Jason, and myself made up the group. It was a very nice relaxing trip, and there was a yummy restaurant where we ate afterwards. If you check out some of the other pictures you can see what Jason's hamburger looked like...he enjoyed it regardless of its looks (ha,ha).

Keep us in your prayers as we prepare for our week of "lasts". We have made some amazing relationships here, and I'm sure that saying good-bye will not easy.

Farewell to Kera and Adam

Hangn in the Hallway,
originally uploaded by emilyJean.

With the right motivation, I am an excellent speed walker. I just got back from the park where we have our Wednesday night volleyball/devo. I had to go to the bathroom soooo bad after devo was over that I made the rounds and said goodbye as fast as I could. Then I proceeded to walk home as quickly as my short little legs would allow. I made it without an accident, thankfully!

Tonight we decided to split the guys and girls up so that we could have a bit more discussion time during the devo. I knew Tandy and I would enjoy this setup because so many times the guys are in charge of devos. The girls here are so amazing. We basically just asked them to describe to us what being a teenage Christian female is like in Estonia. We also asked them what role church plays in their lives. Some, of course, were shyer than others about sharing their experiences. But I think they were encouraged by our time together. I know I was. We read Philippians 2:12-14 and Romans 8:37-39. Check them out if you have a chance.

According to my clock Adam and Kera are officially back in the United States of America. They left Estonia yesterday and had a 15-hour layover in Germany...ugh. I was very sad to see them go. I group will not be the same without them. Kera brings fun and energy with her everywhere she goes. Her empty bed is one of the saddest things I've seen in a long time. I thank God that we were able to spend this time together. We have grown much closer on this trip and I'm excited to get back and see what great things God has planned for our school year at the good ol CCC. Adam in many ways served as the leader of our team...so as you can imagine its a bit disconcerting to have him leave. Adam has this misconception that I hate him...and I am now officially clearing that misunderstanding up, because hate is a very strong word and.

Just kidding. I like Adam a lot and his leadership was much needed and appreciated. It WILL be missed, no doubt about it.

I know each and every one of you miss our beautiful smiling faces. So, I decided to share our hallway picture with you. At the time this picture was taken there were 17 people living in this house that has 2 bathrooms. Waiting outside of the bathroom for your turn has become a common pastime. The three of us decided to lie on the floor in the hallway that leads directly into the bathroom until Jason came out. I don't think he was quite as amused with the whole thing as we were.