Christmas in Čechy

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

Here's Our Christmas Message to You!!!!!!

Laini's First Czech Christmas Performance

Christmas play at the Baptist Church in Prague.

(Laini is the one in purple)

Vysoke Myto

Last week, Team Bohemia went to the Czech church in Vysoke Myto to serve them some authentic American food!!! - tacos

We are sure that the Czech people enjoyed the tacos, but we also were extremely blessed to worship with these wonderful people. (This is the church that runs the English camp we helped with this summer.)  They are wonderful people.

The Violinist!!!

Larissa's Christmas Violin Recital 2008

Fall Fest!!!!

In November the children at English Club enjoyed a great Fall Fest with lots of games, balloons, face painting. 

Zachary making balloon animals.

Lucy and Denisa.

Radek and Vilem eating the apple on a string. (It is more challenging than it looks!)

The Walls Around Us!!!

We are standing in front of the only section left of the Plzen wall. The rest of the wall was torn down to modernize the city a few hundred years ago. That modernization along with forced Catholization followed by communism and finally western materialism have left new walls. These walls are around the hearts of the people.

Please pray with us as we look towards the future in Plzen, and begin to seek ways to break through the walls.

Ask and you shall receive!

We had depleted our supply of books in English this summer...until... The awesome team from Montana came to help with English Camp. They asked if we needed anything, and since the kids (especially Larissa) had read everything in English we could find, we asked for some books. Wow! did we ever get books! Tricia Goyer (author and this MT mission team leader) asked if any of her author friends would like to donate some books. Thank you to everyone who sent books for us. What an incredible gift to us. We have been sharing the books with many other M's and enjoying them for ourselves.

Our First Year!!!

Our first, incredible year in the Czech Republic:

-We've learned another language (Well we are working on it!).

-We made some funny language mistakes and learned that Czech people are pretty gracious.

-We bought food that wasn't what we thought it was.

-We've spent way too much time together in this apartment and we learned what we like and don't like about each other!

-Zachary has been to Greece, Hungary and the USA by himself.

-We went skiing in Austria.
-Larry earned his hunting license and gun permit in Czech.

-We have met some awesome Czech Friends!!

-Melissa teaches English to 1st and 2nd grade Czech kids and loves them.

-We had a very Czech vacation to Croatia (tent in the hot sun included!)

-Laini got a wonderful rabbit named Yeti.

-Larissa and Larry hiked 23 km (14mi) in one day

-We have been able to share the love of God with people from another culture in another language

- We have learned how awesome God is!!!

Sunday in Vysoke Myto

The Sunday before English Camp, we were able to worship in Vysoke Myto at a small Czech church. This church organizes the English camp that we helped in. It was an incredible experience to get to know these precious people that week. They have incredible testimonies and have been faithful to God even in the midst of some tough situations.

Larry began preaching in Czech and Gabriela interpreted to English and then Larry switched to English and she switched to Czech!

(Larry preaching and Gabi interpreting)

Camping in Paradise!

In July, we were able to go camping with our team (Team Bohemia). We went to Cesky Raj ("Czech Paradise") in the northern part of the country...and it truly was amazingly beautiful. Everyone enjoyed it so much.

God has blessed us with a super team and we are so thankful for them. The Johnsons serve in Hradec Kralove (in eastern Bohemia) and the Youngs serve in Jihlava (in southern Bohemia) and we will soon be serving in western Bohemia.

Seed Spitting contest -won by Ginger! Wow, she can really spit!!!

A week in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea

We were invited by some Czech friends to spend the week on the Island Rab, off of the coast of Croatia. It is about a 12 hour drive from Prague. Without a doubt, Croatia is the most beautiful place we have been in the world so far.
We drove out of beautiful mountains and were at the crystal clear Adriatic Sea.

We had an incredible week. We spent our days on the beach or in the water- snorkling, and our evenings talking with our new friends. We stayed in a tent (but it had a small fridge and stovetop).

The Czech people were great. They were so encouraging of our language efforts. It was a super week for our learning. Because there is so much English spoken in Prague, sometimes it is difficult to finish a sentence in Czech...but in Croatia we were surrounded by hundreds of Czech speaking people. (Ironic)

We are so thankful for such an opportunity. We have come home with super memories and new friendships.

The Robber!

Larissa-the annoying reporter (she played the part well)
Zachary-detective David Green

This year, Zachary and Larissa have been involved in a drama club. The play and club was designed to teach Czech children English, but it was a great way for Zachary and Larissa to meet some Czech kids, hear some Czech ...and the teacher was glad to have native English speakers involved.

The play "The Robber" was set in New York City and was about a banker's wife who hired homeless people to rob her husband's bank, because she was trying to get his attention. It was a cute play and all of the kids did a super job. The Czech kids did a great job in a 2nd language.

When the play was over, I introduced my children to the lady beside us and she said, "wow, their English is super. Who taught them?" :-)

Pinata in Prague

Melissa has been teaching English in a first grade class at a local school. It has been a great way to meet teachers and parents, and also has been super for language learning because the children have been so sweet and patient!!! Today was her last lesson. For her final class she had a party and a pinata. It was quite a treat because not many people here have seen a pinata before. The kids and parents have been very appreciative and they have asked her to teach again next year.

Violin

This is a little video of Larissa's Violin Concert. She is taking violin in a Czech music school and they take it very seriously, so it has been quite challenging. But, Larissa played almost perfectly during the concert. We are very proud of her!

Look Who's 40 !!!

Can you believe Larry Lock is 40!

May 8 1968 Happy Birthday Larry!

The Communists are Behind Us!

Our carriage ride through Česky Raj ...

Dominika's friend owns horses and a carriage. They took us on a beautiful ride through the Czech forest. At one point the driver sped up and we could hear him saying to the horses, "Yaw, yaw...the communists are behind us, hurry...!!!

A perfect way to turn 40!

To celebrate Larry's 40th birthday, we were invited to our friend's chalupa (country home). It is about 1 hour from Prague and is surrounded by woods. Robert and Dominika have 4 children: Berenika, Norika, Angelica and Sebastian.

This of course was an incredible birthday gift for Larry (who may just go crazy in the city). We enjoyed a beautiful morning just relaxing... well for Larry that included splitting wood! Then in the afternoon we took a carriage ride through the beautiful Česky Raj (a national forest). We spent the night and Larry enjoyed a long walk in the woods Friday morning. We were so thankful for such a beautiful escape from the city.

Laini's 6th birthday - A Pinata in Prague!

April 12 was Laini's 6th birthday and she was determined to have a pinata for her birthday. She asked her teacher if she could bring a pinata to school for her birthday. Her teacher had never heard of a pinata before and she said "Sure, why not!" None of her friends had ever heard of a pinata either.

So we made fish pinata! Her teacher and classmates loved it. They gave Laini a super party with games and gifts. She loved her 6th birthday and even got to enjoy it with Gram and Grandad!

Jan Hus

Here is a picture of Larry's Parents with Zachary, Laini and Larissa in front of the statue of Jan Hus in Old Town Square in Prague.

Jan Hus was a reformer who was influenced by John Wycliffe. Hus is mainly known for believing that people should have the Bible in their own language and that everyone should get to take the cup and the bread in communion (Catholics only got the bread and the priests took the cup). He also was against the church amassing wealth and property. Hus was invited to the Council of Constance in 1415 to defend his views. He was guaranteed safe passage, but when he got there they burned him at the stake. This set off a huge protestant movement in the Czech lands, which remained predominantly protestant until 1620 when the Catholics finally crushed them at the Battle of White Mountain near Prague. Not long after the defeat 27 protestant nobles were beheaded at Old Town Square and for years their heads hung in baskets on the tower of Charles Bridge.

Easter Monday

In the states churches fellowship with food! In the Czech Republic they go on a 8km walk! On Easter Monday we went on a trip with the Czech church. We rode the train about 45 minutes out of Prague. Then we walked about 8 km through the woods. On the way we stopped and built a fire and cooked hotdogs (okay they can't avoid the food altogether!) We ended up at Karlstejn Castle. It is an incredibly beautiful castle built in the 1300's. Here are some pictures. If you would like to see more pics here's a link. http://www.vinohradskysbor.estranky.cz/fotoalbum

Hody Hody Doprovody

Hody hody doprovody

Dejte Vejce Malovany (Give me a painted egg)

Nedate-li malovany (If you don't give me a painted egg)

Dejte aspon bily (At least give me a white one)

Slepicka vam snese jiny (The hen will lay another)

Now here is a different tradition...On Easter Monday, men and boys set out in search of girls, in order to hit them with their Easter wands (Pomlazka), which are braided from four, six, or eight willow branches and decorated with one or more colored ribbons. Czechs thought that it was good luck and healthy for the girls to be hit with this stick! (Guys, don't get any ideas) During this carolling and whipping, the girls present the boys with eggs - painted, colored, or even just white.
In the homes, men also receive something besides eggs - alcohol. So on that Monday you will see many very drunk men.

Easter, just like Christmas, is a "religious" holiday that continued to be celebrated even in socialist Czechoslovakia. It simply acquired a slightly different interpretation from the years 1948 to 1989 - it was celebrated officially as a holiday of spring.

Sir Larry, lord of the forest

For several months, Larry has been attending the Myslivost class so that he can get his Czech hunting license. The class has been (of course) taught entirely in Czech, so Larry has been working very diligently to translate and to understand the curriculum. (The textbook was several inches thick-full of information he had to know.) Saturday, March 8 was the day of the exam. All of the students went from one teacher to the next in order to answer questions orally.

After the testing was finished, there was a ceremony. They actually knighted (with a sword) the new "graduates". So now you must address Larry as "Sir Larry, lord of the Forest" The leader gave a speech saying that Larry was the first American to take and pass the test.

Červinka

Here is an article for all of you cow lovers. I thought it was interesting.

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/101597

English Club to McDonalds

This last month at English Club we taught the children how to order food in English. The last week of the series, we took them to McDonalds so they could practice ordering in English. The children loved it. (Fortunately we went to a McDonalds where someone actually understood English!!)

This month (March) we are teaching them about Easter! Most of these children have never heard about Jesus (except at English Club). There are about 30+ children and it is such a sweet group of children (ages 5 to 16).

Classes for the adults: While the children are downstairs, having lots of fun, learning lots of English, and hearing about God, many adults are upstairs in English classes. Many of the adults really appreciate this because knowing English is helpful in their jobs. The classes have grown so much this year that they have split into 3 different groups: beginner, intermediate and conversation. Larry has recently begun to help teach the intermediate adult class. He is enjoying this and it is a great way to learn some new Czech words at the same time.

Grandma in Prague!

We just had a wonderful week with Melissa's mom (from PA) and her great friend, Cheryl (from VA).

We walked miles everyday, but thoroughly enjoyed every minute. We, of course, took them to Prague Castle, Old Town and Charles Bridge. We walked up 299 steps of a tower to see an absolutely amazing view of this city. The beautiful and amazing architecture never seemed to end.

We (the girls) rode the train (along with some other Americans) to a small Czech town to a factory crystal shop. While we were there, I (Melissa) got brave enough to ask in Czech for a tour of the factory. The tour guide was so kind. She patiently waited while I tried to translate what she was saying.

On Sunday, my mom and Cheryl went with us to English Club. It was McDonald's night when we took all of the children to McDonalds and they had to order in English. Mom and Cheryl jumped right in to help out.

Myslivost? What's that?

Myslivost is the Czech word for game-keeping or game management. I have been taking the myslivost class to get my hunting license. For the most part I like the way they do things here. You have to take a serious course. It starts in October, takes a break for December and January and then starts up again in February. In March there is an oral test. Hunters are viewed not just as hunters but as game managers.

It has been interesting since everything is in Czech, but it is very good for my language. You can pray for me March 9th as I take my test. I'll have someone there to translate for me, but it could still get interesting.

Here is a picture of the new Czech record red deer. Thought some of you might enjoy it.

Skiing in the Alps!

The week before Christmas, we had to go out of the country for

Visa/Passport purposes. So we drove to Austria and had an amazing Skiing Weekend in the Alps.

The mountains were absolutely beautiful. Larissa kept saying (and we were all thinking) "Can you believe we are skiing in the Alps!!!"

We enjoyed a great sled-riding hill that was right outside of our apartment, and a ski trail that came right to our back door. It was such a blessing to us to be able to enjoy this beautiful part of our world.