Blessed Week!

Last weekend we celebrated thanksgiving with about 40 other American teachers here in Central Europe. It was a weekend that started off with an amazing American Thanksgiving meal with a FULL table of homemade desserts brought by other teachers. I shared one of my favorite treats from home, strawberry cheese cake squares. Through out the rest of the weekend we shared in fellowship through meals, games, reading Harry Potter by the fire, taking long walks, and playing American football. The best part by far was the times of worshiping our Father together. Singing songs that we all know and love and joining our voices together to bring Him praise. Such a sweet time that I will never forget!

All of us crammed into a stairwell for the
annual ESI Central Europe Team photo

We got back from the retreat not only well rested but fully charged to start the winter months here in the Czech Republic. This past Monday we received an amazing sight. We had heard of this massive flame that rises out of a local factory. They will light the flame to burn off some chemicals that issue from the factory. Well that factory has not been open since we got here. Due to lack of funds they have had to shut their doors for a time. Well on Monday the flame rose once again! It is huge and can be seen clearly from our flat. I took the opportunity to take pictures! Not only is it an amazing thing to see, but it is also a sign that things may be picking up financially here in Ostrava.

The flame!! The smoke is coming from the factory as well.

Wednesday was my birthday. Thank you to all of you who thought of me on that day! I was slightly nervous about having my birthday here. I wasn't sure if it would be really celebrated or remembered. Well...funny how God works. I celebrated starting on Monday with my evening class. It continued through Tuesday with my youth class. On my actual birthday I was overwhelmed with greetings from all over the world! Including 4 classes that sang to me! Thursday I got to talk with my family on Thanksgiving. The WHOLE family! They all gathered around the TV in my parents living room and we talked and I shared a lot of what my life is like here in Europe. They asked questions and we shared many laughs. It was too short but definitely VERY sweet. Then on Friday, we had a workshop in the office. We were just about to start when Květa, the secretary walked in with an AMAZING cake! It had an American flag and a Czech flag on top of it. They sang happy birthday to me and I got to celebrate with one more group of people.

The amazing cake!

To end the week, I woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow on the ground and roofs. We live on the 7th floor of our flat so we have a wonderful view of the surrounding area. I excited exclaimed to my sleeping teammate, from Pennsylvania, that there was snow on the ground! She looked at me...smiled...and said Yeah, it is Shelly. I love that she indulged me, even though this is nothing compared to the snow she receives in PA. I have spent the day cleaning, reading, and baking. When I was in middle school and we had a snow day, my brother and I would play outside until our fingers were numb, then we would go inside and watch Star Wars and I would bake brownies. Today, I spent the day inside and baked brownies. No Star Wars to watch, but enjoyed the time in fellowship with my teammates and my Father. : D

View from our front window

Life is so good right now. Please pray for all of the missionaries around the world as we enter this holiday season. It can be hard to be away from family and things familiar. It is fun to experience the holidays in a new culture and country, but there's just nothing like home. So as you get ready for Christmas where ever you are. Take the time to pray for and remember those who are serving the Lord all over the world and are separated from family. Thanks, and God BLESS!!