riches from secret places

Full

I am sitting in the Vienna airport using the free wi-fi and reflecting on the last 32 days in Europe. My heart is so full an my soul completely satisfied. Here’s just a few things rolling around.

It was my honor to be with he Porta libri team dreaming about the future. They are innovative and passionate about seeing people know Jesus nd helping the 50,000 Christians in Slovakia grow. Thanks for welcoming me and making my time so incredible.

I’ve been to 3 new countries for a total of 6 since my vacation. How did I get picked to experience this? Humbled…

I’ve seen God in majestic cathedrals, small chapels, voices of women singing German hymns, church services, art, and the creative touches scattered across every city.

I’ve learned that I really thrive on adventure and probably need that as a regular part of my live. From a girl that used to be dominated by fear, that is a big deal!!

I discovered that my sense of direction that usually is greatly lacking at home shows up on these adventures. God knows exactly what I need!!

I’ve had a taste of how nice it is to slow down adding margin for reflection and relationships. Where else can you have a 3 hour dinner with a friend at a sidewalk cafe but in Europe? (there was no sever pressuring us to leave)

I’m grateful for technology and how it keeps me connected to my friends and family.

As I travel toward home these are just a few things that I will treasure. Many more are captured in photos or simply in my memory. Goodbye for now Europe. I will certainly be back!!

An Inside Look

I am still trying to wade through my photos from Prague so I thought I’d share another video.  Visiting cathedrals in Europe has been one of my favorite things to do in every city.  The St. Vitus Cathedral that sits in the middle of the Prague Castle didn’t disappoint.  Here is a quick look at the inside…

Quick look inside of St. Virts Cathedral from NavTech on Vimeo.

A Little piece of History

Just add another piece of culture to the list of my European experiences.  Zuzana took me to a concert in the Bratislava Castle tonight.  It was a Basset horn trio called the Lotz Trio.  They play 3 horns that were rescued from a fire in a castle in Slovakia.  The horns are made as a trio and were often special ordered for the royal musicians.

The music was beautiful and the history fascinating.  Zuzana was nice enough to translate for me.  Have a listen to the Lotz Trio…

Prague Recap

I had little access to the web while I was in Prague so I thought I’d give a quick update on what I did in this fabulous city.  This visit was 2.5 days of sightseeing but I could have easily spent weeks.  History…Beautiful buildings…Yummy foods…and much more is what I experienced while staying in the gorgeous city.  I was hosted by a family in Prague and they were so gracious.  I enjoyed getting to know them and even experience with city with them.  Until I can get my pics sorted out I leave you with a few highlights along with a video…

• Visited the Jewish Quarter and was moved to tears.  One museum has a listing of the 80,000 names of the victims of the Holocaust from Bohemia and Moravia.  My heart was ripped apart by an exhibition of children’s art and stories from Terezin.  Add in a visit to the cemetery and I was a total mess.
• Strolled through Staré Město (Old Town) which includes an amazing square and an Astronomical Clock
• Enjoyed fantastic food and coffee
• Took in all the sites at Pražský hrad including building dating back more than 700 years and the changing of the guard which is the video below
• Experienced Prague at night with my hosts.  We walked the Charles Bridge and saw the lively night life of Prague while hearing my mom’s statement “nothing good happens after midnight” rolled through my head.
• Rode a boat on the river to the Praha Zoo and set my eyes on penguins, tigers, gorillas, monkey, and the adorable seals.

I hope that this will not be my last visit to Prague.  It truly is a fantastic city!  And now for the changing of the guard…

A History Lesson

Tonight I was honored to share a meal with a couple who have been involved in Navigator ministry in Bratislava for more than 30 years.  As we sat around their table, we shared a meal but also stories.  Some them related to the Fall of Communism in 1989 which resulted in freedom for most of this part of Europe which had been under Communist rule since 1948 (right after WW II).  We talked about what ministry was happening during those years and how it was facilitated so that no one discovered what they were doing.  People came in and out of the country as tourists to avoid being caught.  We transitioned then to a conversation about the slaughter of tens of thousands of Jews throughout Eastern Europe while we listened to Jewish songs their son-in-law recorded with a local rabbi. An unbelievably insightful evening with two very delightful people.  Thank you for your hospitality and for sharing your life with me.  It’s a night I will not soon forget.

Weekend Wrap

No big adventures this weekend.  I’ve been having trouble with my foot and decided that it was best to give it a rest this weekend in preparation for my trip to Prague on Thursday.  It’s one of the places that I’m most excited about visiting and I didn’t want a bum foot to slow me down. No Budapest visit this trip but it was on the bottom of the list so I’m not too disappointed.  Instead I stayed in Bratislava and did some exploring.  I went to the Bratislava Castle yesterday and grabbed some dinner in Old Town.  You can see a quick tour in pictures if you’re interested.

Today, I enjoyed listening to the rain and thunder while catching up on a few sermons from my church.  Man, I do love the teaching from Gary Wilkerson.  We’re in Hebrews and talking about the new covenant.  Each week a little more of it sinks in and what’s already there goes a little deeper.  

To finish out the day, I was able to sit outside for dinner which is so fun because watching people is one of my most favorite activities.

So grateful for a little down time and the fact that my foot is not swollen which is the first time in two weeks.  Guess it really did need a rest.  Ready to begin the second half of my time here.  It’s going fast but I am enjoying every second!

Around the Table

Marek and his wife hosted me at their house for dinner last night.  Considering they just moved one week ago, I was grateful for the invite to join the family dinner.  It was quite the party with a wide assortment of people.  There were kids playing on their iPads and adults of all ages around the table with food and drinks.  Around that table, there was lots of laughter, conversation, and stories.  Each person was gracious enough to take a turn translating from either Slovak or German so I could stay a part of the conversation.  Even what I missed somehow I got.  As I observed the interactions of family and friends around that table, I was struck by the thought that maybe this was what God had in mind for family and even more for relationships.  There were beautiful exchanges between mother and daughters and connections between dear friends.  No human needs translation to pick up on community and kinship.  I was reminded that the Lord never intended for humans to be alone.  It’s why my heart longs to be connected to other human beings no matter how messy or risky.  From creation, He instituted companionship and relationship for the human race.  Last night this was displayed around a table at a dinner that’s going to stick with me for a while.  Adding this to the long list of God moments I will take with me from this experience.

Work Update

So tomorrow is the 2 week mark on my journey here in Bratislava. I am having the time of my life both in work and play. You’ve heard about the play bit not the work so…

We have been working on getting books converted to ePub and thats moving forward. We’ve done some work on Facebook setting up a new page and developing ads. I’ve finished a presentation I am making to a group next week on e-publishing and the future of content. All of this is right in my wheelhouse and so fun. Tomorrow is working on a joint publishing project in preparation for my work trip to Prague next week.

Marek and his team are fun to work with. It’s also been a privilege to meet many others as well.

It’s been busy but very rewarding! Now off to bed so I’m ready for tomorrow!

P.S. This weekend is a visit to Budapest, which from what I’ve been reading, is a fabulous city. I’ll bore you with pics when I return.

Vienna by Video

I wish I could have taken each of you with me to Vienna.  It’s a beautiful city with fantastic people.  It’s rich with culture and history.  I got back tonight and I’m way to tired to go through all my pics but I did upload a few on Facebook.  The easier thing was to give you a glimpse of Vienna by video.  Hope you enjoy!

Notice chocolate shop on left.  It’s a Vienna specialty and it’s very good.  Also do you recognize the US restaurant sign? It’s blurry but I think you can pick it out!

I am not sure what this is but the sound was fantastic. This is the inside of St. Stephens Cathedral which is at the center of Vienna.

Very impressive processional for a concert. These guys brought up the rear of the group that were marching to the front of the Cathedral.

Just a small part of this the beautiful and huge Hofburg Palace.

Trying to soak up a little culture so I went to see my first opera. It was held inside the grand hall of the main building of the Hofburg Palace.

The percussionist in this orchestra really made the show fun. In this video he is beating on anvils that are a piece of wood that looked like a stump. Very impressive!

The big ending to a fabulous show! I am not sure what this song is but everyone was having fun clapping along!

This group who were wearing traditional outfits were teaching people how to dance on the Stephenplatz. Brings new meaning to dancing in the streets. Also reminded me up of my grandpa who always wanted me to learn to play the accordion.

I took a high speed catamaran back to Bratislava along the Danube River. In the video we are turning the boat around and you get a short glimpse of the city.