the weekend is gone and monday has shown it ugly head and turned again into a tuesday. the tuesday that i have been dreading and begging to not show up. time has successfully eluded me again. only this time - there is hope for what the future holds and not just mourning what has come and gone. saying goodbye here is as much a part of life as anything else. i can see frustration in people's eyes and smell the sadness that lingers in the air as it happens.

the weekend was a nice one. friday lindsay and i visited telč in south moravia. the weather was beautiful and the town was quite stunning. it almost seemed surreal as we walked through a small entryway next to the town square. to the right was the huge zamek(chateau) and the left unfolded the beautiful square. i must admit that it is one of the most beautiful squares that i have seen. each house was different and most all were over 300 years old - some even more. this town sits between two large ponds and is one of the bigger suppliers of carp in the region. we got to walk around the grounds of the zamek and the ponds and all around the town. it was a great day trip.

walking into church on sunday a bit late (i was suprised that we had started on time..) i noticed how many people were there. i mean - we average about 40-50 i would say - and there had to have been at least like 90. so anyway - i made my way up to the front to the place linds had saved for me. it was a pretty typical sunday really - chris leading worship, and the like, but something was special. i knew that this could be our last sunday to worship together (linds and i) in PCF. things could not have been more perfect. worship was heart wrenching, and i just could not help but to smile at this place that i have come to love so much. the people are so amazing and real. there are no pretenses. people worshipping with their whole being and just loving to be there in the presence of christ with other people that they have grown to love. well - i once again got to serve communion and with lindsay. i found myself to tears serving people. (i wonder why more churches dont let average church members do this act of worship. i have talked to so may people who for the first time at this church - have had the opportunity to serve communion and have been so blessed. i know i have. every other church i have ever been in - you had to be a deacon or something ridiculous like that.) we share a common cup and everyone just kinda files to the front to take the wine and bread. we go at our own pace and just do as you please- enter this time as you like. so nice. but at the very end - my buddy luke and magda - came almost running to the front and announced that they are now engaged! hell - i thought they were gonna announce that they kissed for the first time or something - because they had only been dating like 4 weeks! so cool though to hear their stories about how it happened and progressed. god is so good. then john announced that linds was leaving and about 10 people gathered around her and laid hands on her to pray. i was overwhelmed. the love in this community is so amazing. i love this church - it makes me dream and think. it encourages and loves and lets me come as i am. the best thing is that people are real. i mean - really real. they say what they think - and we dont always agree - but we are there for the same reasons. we want to follow christ. i want to try to be like christ. this is the essence of christianity - nothing else. just trying to be like christ. i know i stumble and fall alot - but with the help of my friends - i get right back up. the next 2 months are going to be really hard and long - but ill get through it. i just pray for gods peace and strength.