Well, you all know I turned 30 two weeks ago. All the children in my class came to school on my birthday in t-shirts painted with the number 30 on them... some were simple with the number drawn on the shirt and others were done up like the one above. It was a lovely surprise accompanied by 2 flowers each from my children and my aids- for a grand total of 30 flowers! A special and fun way to spend my birthday!
In other news, I feel like I have really settled into my life in the Czech Republic. To some of my friends this is difficult news- how can I feel settled when I am so far from my home and my loved ones? To other this may be a shock- why did it take so long, right? Well, it is a process to uproot your life and resettle into a new environment. Professionally I dug right in and found my "home" at work... that is why I was hired to work in Prague- I know my job. Socially, I have plenty of friends and places to hang out in Prague- exploring the mountains and skiing. I am even taking Spanish class once a week, and soon I will begin Tennis lessons. Spiritually it has taken time for me to feel settled in Prague. I am not different in my convictions, beliefs, goals, or desires. In fact, moving away from all that I knew has caused me to love and trust Jesus more. After attending Prague Christian Fellowship for a number of weeks in the fall, I tried two other churches upon return from the Christmas holiday. I think I have finally found a home church here in Praha- Faith Community Church. My friend Carrie and I have enjoyed this church the last few times we have attended. The message is readily applicable, from the Word of God, and focused on sharing the gospel and growing in faith. The worship has been fantastic and the congregation is English speaking and younger than the other churches. To be honest- this is where I have felt most comfortable in Prague. In addition to finding a new church, I have also begun to get involved with Youth Ministry again. I was contacted by a mother who knows a mother at my school to ask if I was still interested in helping out with Youth Praha. This is what I have been praying for. Last week, I visited and met the middle school girls discipleship group whom I will co-lead with a teacher from the Christian International School of Prague. Together we will disciple this, funny, hyper, eager-to-learn group of christian girls! We do this after school on Fridays from 4:30-6 and then we join the rest of the youth (from various churches around Prague) for Youth Praha meeting! It is so difficult to get to know new girls, leaders, and attend a new church. It feels awkward to start over- but I am praying for my recently, more reserved self to let loose in these times and begin building relationships with other believers. Pray for me to continue to grow in faith and that the Lord would provide opportunity for me to connect with others and that he would continue to open my eyes to opportunities to share his love with others. As I am writing to you all, I am listening to a song by Charlie Hall called Center. Ron Marrs introduced it to our youth last year. The version I am listening to is a mash-up of Center and Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus... I close with this prayer for us all.
"Oh Christ, be the center of our lives; be the place we fix our eyes... we lift our eyes to heaven; we wrap our lives around your life. We lift our eyes to heaven- to you. --> Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face and the things of the Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." Blessings-- Nikki 
