Eleven Years Later . . .

We are here! Flying into Krakow, Poland yesterday with my husband and child was surreal to say the least. We were greeted by new friends and old friends. The old friends, the Carlson's, were the first Josiah Venture missionaries I ever met; I first served as an intern with them about eleven years ago.

It's crazy to think that eleven years ago, I first arrived in Eastern Europe! Last night, I was laying in bed, awake at 12:30am Czech time, and the excitement started to seep through again. For the last several weeks, the sadness of all the good-byes was really hitting me. It is amazing to me how it is possible to feel two sets of emotions so strongly.

Here is Cece at my parents' house in Minnesota. I wish I had taken a picture of my mom, dad, brother, Joel and sister-in-law, Crista waving good-bye to Cece and I as we were peeking through security. As Cecelia and I rounded the corner at the Minneapolis airport, Cece started blowing kisses saying, "good-bye, love you!" What a beautiful moment in my life--how blessed we are be to loved by people so much that it hurts so much to say good-bye.

Brian's sister, Susan and kids, Sydney and Colton came to Chicago to say good-bye our last two days in the states. It meant so much to us to have family with us then.

So began our eighteen hours of traveling from Chicago to Frydlant, Czech Republic! (I don't look so great in this picture, but Cece seems ready for the adventure:).)

Cecelia did amazing on the plane. She slept for the first five hours on the first flight; she woke up, though, with three hours left, so Brian was trying to get her back to sleep. He put the blanket over their heads in the hopes that she wouldn't be distracted:); it didn't work, she was wide awake!

And, here we are after arriving in Poland with the Carlson's (who arrived back to Poland after a short trip to the states; our flights were in an hour of each other). How special to be greeted by them after all these years of considering Josiah Venture!

Here I am several years ago in Poland with Kelsey, the Carlson's oldest daughter, when she was a young girl. I first met her when she was Cece's age!

So, we had our first meal with Kelsey--not a young girl anymore, the rest of the Carlson's and Nate and Emily Hughes (huge thanks to Nate and Emily for coming to pick us up - we can't wait to get to know them better!). And, we are eating at McDonald's in Poland. This was ironically Cece's first time eating at a McDonald's!

After that, our new friends, Nate and Emily, drove us to our new home-town, Frýdlant nad Ostravicí, Czech Republic where we were greeted by the Patty's. We'll be staying at the Patty's until our crate arrives in a few weeks. Brian, Cece, and I woke up this morning at 10am (Cece slept twelve hours last night--whoo hoo), and we were giddy! We just couldn't wait to start life here . . . a dream that God put in my heart eleven years ago!

Every Child Should Have a Golden Retriever

This is my parents' dog. Our dog, Zory, has been with "Uncle Paul" for several months. There is a chance that Brian's parents will bring her this summer . . . . Why? Because every child should have a golden:

Support Raising

To say that we're excited is such an understatement. As of Thursday, February 11th, we reached our support raising requirements, and purchased our tickets to fly to Czech on February 28th (we're actually flying to Poland, but soon after arriving in Czech, of course).

The support raising process. Whew. How to describe it? It is one of the most faith-filled journeys on which I have ever been.

I remember when I was ten years old, yep, ten. I sold advertisements for KVBR radio in my hometown of Brainerd, MN. The way that got started is a long story, but I sold two ads, I think, and made forty dollars. I just remember being so unashamed. Not really that same boldness through-out this whole process, but I think in some ways, that kind of raw, innocent, straight-to-the-point attitude that I had as a ten year old served me well as I took big gasps, said silent prayers and presented to potential supporters what God is doing in Eastern Europe.

While the process required stepping out of our comfort zones, as I am not quite as bold now as I was when I was ten, it has been a surprising, blessed process. For sure, it requires a sincere humility that we continually pray God works in us, but mostly, it has been an incredible blessing.

It literally brings tears to my eyes when I think of all those that have joined our team, prayed for us, encouraged us, and given. The bond that we will have with those who are partnering with us in ministry is one that we have only just begun to taste, and I believe it is a little bit like the way The Kingdom is supposed to be. How sweet it is to taste!

While "the process" is not over, so I've heard--support raising is an on-going one as it is vital that we communicate our ministry with those that share it, and the reality of change--people end their support and others join. So, we remain in the support raising stage throughout our ministry. However, it will never look quite like this again. I want to remember the intensity, the fear, the faith-building, and the joy.

Right now, I want to celebrate that we are currently 100% supported, that our tickets are purchased, our crate is packed and on its way to Czech, and we are leaving to experience a dream that God placed on my heart nearly 11 years ago. Seriously, I'm overwhelmed.

Here we are the summer of 2003 in Poland together:

Here is a recent photo of us:

Soon, we'll post one of us in the Czech Republic! Whooo Hoo!

Disclaimer: The reality of good-bye has really not hit us yet, and I don't feel like crying today. So, that post will come later . . . .

Braids

Yep! Another post about Cece's hair. If you continue following our blog, you can expect more posts on the subject in the future, I'm sure. Because we are likely departing for Czech the end of February, I wanted to get Cece's hair done before we leave. While I'm hopeful that we'll be able to find a place or even have Emily who already serves with JV in Czech do her hair, I wanted to do it once while I was "at home" to become more familiar with the process.

Well, it turns out the Mouna's, located in down-town Denver, was a cross-cultural experience in and of itself. Some of the "highlights":

When I walked in, I was not greeted at a front desk, instead I talked to the woman lying on the couch about getting my daughter's hair done.

The lady asked me what I would pay. (I had no idea, so I asked her what was reasonable, she gave a price, and I countered. I probably paid more than I need to, but . . . .)

I had to go and get cash out of an ATM before they would start.

I was told to pick out beads; I had no idea how many or how they would be used in her hair.

The lady who was braiding her hair kept picking up the extensions (the hair she was adding) off the floor.

HOWEVER, the lady really knew what she was doing and put up with Cece moving her head quite frequently.

The women did comment on how good Cece was being, and said, "you must do her hair." I was a proud momma!

How long did it take? Over an hour. How did I get Cece to sit still that long? An unmentionable amount of Cheerios.

So without further ado, here is my daughter who went into Mouna's a baby and came out a little girl: