monday night. im at school in the lab writing this - trying to recall all my feelings and experiences from this last weekend - that i think was probably one of the most awesome, real, heart wrenching, challenging and just amazing weekends that i have ever had. i met some amazing people whom i connected with on a level that doesnt happen often in my life. meeting people who have the same exact heart that you do doesnt happen often. they teach you lots, make you think, help you pray better and more and give you more community than you ever thought possible. they even help to break your heart for other nations and peoples. we inherently need this. some of us may not know it - but we do. this is the kind of community that is spoken of in the acts. ok - so where to start. i will attempt to say some things tonight that i want to say - although i know for certain that i wont be able to recall it all. plus - none of you would finish reading the post.

rewind to wednesday night. i came to the lab to check some emails and blog a bit. i signed on to instant messenger - which most of you know i dont do tooo often anymore- and just started chatting with my friend shannon in the UK. see - i was really looking for hostels to stay in this weekend in dresden. my luck - and having found out so late about this gathering - there was no room at the inn. so shannon tells me that she is going to ask a friend of hers if she knows anyone in dresden that i can stay with. well it turns out that heidi is going to dresden as well and i can stay with her and another guy with a family there. this is 2 days before i leave. amazing. i stay with a family that is so gracious and loving and they let us all crash on their couch. answered prayers. community. amazing god. wow - so just a good start in general overall.

on the train - i am very nervous about the whole weekend. i know no one going - and i dont even know the people i am staying with. so i get off the train and start walking. i find the house no problem - and meet the family and so we go to the conference that night. just almost instantly i started meeting people. people from all over the uk, finland, spain, canada, germany, south africa, mexico, america, macedonia and so many other places. they are people who have basically dedicated their lives to jesus and his work and living in community with each other. real community. not going to church on sundays and wednesdays sitting in pews and soaking things up like sponges that we are not meant to be - but people who are really trying to live like jesus intends for us to live. i met people who had sold everything that they had (a family with 2 young kids - 2&4 i believe) and were traveling around to the ends of the earth doing missions, a guy who came from a family who while he was growing up lived with over 350 people that came through his parents house because they just loved jesus so much - they knew this was what he would have done, a few families who live in areas in their towns that no one else would care to go - because these people are exactly that. people. people created in christ's image and who we should not forget. instead of trying to live the suburbian utopia dream of most people - they choose to be broken every day for christ. to love these people so much that they can honestly see jesus in us. and not worry about the things that one day will be gone anyway.

i learned that from what christ did for us - there are some things that should happen. prayer should be the majority of our life. and from this comes naturally an outpouring of missions and justice. it is a way of life and the way we love other people is the way we love jesus. think about that for a second. the way we love others is the way we love christ. these are his people. just like you and i. made in his image and loved by him more that anything in the world. in fact he has a bias for these people. yep - jesus with a bias. it is true - and i intend to write more later on this. just look through your bible a bit and see all the verses dealing with the widows and poor people. yep - people. gods people. this is real community.

yeah - i had my heart changed this weekend. but it was good - and much needed. got a sense of the reality of the whole thing. and people the world over are much the same when we dont let ignorant things get in our way. so anyway - enough for now. more to come. i know you are sitting on the edge of your seat. my head is swirling. swirling really fast. but things are good. god definitly knows what he is doing.

tuesday night. man - it is starting to turn a little chilly here. and quick. i think the really warm. comfortable weather is pretty much gone. last night walking home it was 8 degrees Celsius. the tourists are starting to leave here - fine by me. now i think i will give it another month to thin out and i will really start to enjoy the attractions. i hate walking up most of the really big squares for the hoardes of people. it is amazing how many times you can be asked if you want to buy drugs in one walk. i guess i look like a crackhead. no comments from the peanut gallery on that one... i have been teaching for a few hours in the mornings lately and then i am finished for the day. so i usually spend my days drifting around the city just getting lost. it is so nice to do. plus it doesnt hurt that everything here is so interesting. the fun thing is trying to guess what the signs about places say. i know it is some really cool history that i am looking at - i just have no way to know. as you can tell my czech is wonderful. lots of time to think about stuff though. not sure that i am going to be able to make it home for christmas this year. it will be the first time ever- but i guess it will be alright. the tickets are just pretty pricey. so i am not sure when i will see most of you - guess you guys will just have to get off your no leaving mississippi butts and come see me! any company is good company - well wait... that doesnt really include you smitty.. but wait, was i scared that you would actually come anyway? not really. you are still my boy though... if you want to see snow - im sure we will have a white christmas here. well - enough ramblings for now. not sure if i am going to be making it to dresden this weekend for the 24/7 conference. it seems that we all found out too late and there are no rooms at the inn. maybe i will just go anyway and see if i can find a place to stay. ill keep you guys posted. it would be awesome to attend. oh yeah - the title?? one beer, please....

hey everyone - sorry for the long gap in my posts. i have started teaching class this week - and things have been relativly busy. but i guess i can make excuses all freaking day long. anyway - here i am on wednesday night. i must say that things are going well. teaching is actually pretty fun - and really not too hard. just until you get asked questions that you dont know - but that hasnt happened yet... you all know that i am not really big on working a "real" 8-5 jobbie - so this is working out nicely. my schedule is pretty varied and i go to different businesses to teach! kinda cool. but alas - i still have to dress decently. one of these days i will find a job where dress codes are NON-EXISTENT! but until then - i will just try and get by...

on other fronts - very cool stuff has been happening. finally i met with sasa. the guy who i had been emailing with before i got here - who just happens to be starting to 24/7 prayer room along with alot of other really cool czech people here. so i went sunday to the inception of it all and it was awesome. so the whole prayer and worship was in czech, right? well i felt like i didnt need to hear the words directly - because i felt likei knew what was goign on. so very cool - and i couldnt help but smile knowing that one day i really would know. one day when the languages would not matter. afterwards i stayed around talking to sasa and he mentioned me starting something like this - just in english. a big prayer session - like a house church - at the prayer room - maybe at some odd hour on sudays. to cater to a different crowd. wow - all at once. so the vision for prague is to have a prayer room for all of the like 15 districts here. full time rooms that anyone can go to and pray at any time. so freaking cool. sasa is translating the bible into czech - because they have not had a translation in over 400 years here. yes - there is a czech bible - but it is like the KJV - no one can understand it much. so there are all kinda of cool things going on.

oh and next weekend - i think i could be going to Dresden, Germany for a 24/7 leadership conference. for some reason sasa thinks i should go and 'represent' "prague" at this. it is a really cool organisation - with an even cooler vision - so i am pretty stoked to even be asked to go. by the way - read red moon rising... i am not sure how i will afford it - but if i am supposed to go - then i will be going. if you dont mind praying for me - it would be much appreciated...

so finally - after many sweat filled afternoons of being observed by teachers and being graded on everything i say... i have a job! yep - i passed. not exactly with flying colours (those of you who know me - can probably see why..) but i passed well enough to get a job. whoo hoo! i am on my way this afternoon to meet with my academic manager and see who they are going to let me teach. hopefully i get some younger folks or even kids because we all know how well i get along with adults... so work starts monday - so that is all i will say about work right now.

oh yeah - budapest... the city was so freaking gorgeous. we spent several days there touring about looking at all the scenery, checking out some castles, some old churches that i got to pray in and just walking around all over the city. i must say that the city was, in my opinion, as beautiful as prague with way more cars. the train ride was really fun - seeing all the countryside and such. 6 guys hanging out and just having a good time. i have tons of pictures that may get posted soon and might not. so anyway - thanks for all you guys prayers and thoughts. they are much appreciated.

friday - the last day of class is finally over. i turned in my portfolio and now i can only wait to see what happens. i guess maybe i get hired here or maybe i dont. but nonetheless i am finished. tomorrow morning we leave to go to budapest for a few days. should have some cool pictures of that. but just wanted to put a few words on here about class being over with! whoo hoo! so i guess teaching will begin in about a week or so.

i havent been able to see much about the storm that just hit down around new orleans and all around - but it really looks like some terrible stuff. there have been some blurbs on the local news here about it - but all i can see are the pictures. cant understand what they are saying. my thoughts and prayers are with all the people who were affected. i hope we can get some serious help down there - and soon.