More Connections

On Monday, Nov. 18, we met Jessica Weaver for lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Old Town Prague. Jessica is the woman who very generously offered her flat to us for the first few days of our trip to Prague. She was on a work trip at the time. Jessica is the Central Europe Program Director for Educational Services International (ESI), a ministry that facilitates teaching English overseas. When Liz worked in Career Services, she researched this organization and referred students to it. ESI's promotional material always had a prominent place on the Career Service's bulletin board. We even contemplated teaching with ESI in Czech Republic several years ago. So it was great for us to hear first hand about how this organization works.

After lunch with Jessica, we went to McCafe at McDonalds. We frequented McCafe for two reasons: 1. Free wifi, and 2. Reasonably priced artistic coffee drinks. We don't recall seeing anything quite like the cappuccino above in U.S. McDonalds.

That evening, we had an opportunity to attend a support group at Armada Spasy (Salvation Army). This group meets weekly and is made up of people who have had significant difficulty in their lives. Some had been in prison, others were homeless, or struggling with addictions. Others were there simply to lend support. All recognized their need for a supportive community. Each person (including us) introduced themselves, briefly told their story, and in some cases were offered counsel and/or prayer. Toward the end, the group read and discussed a Bible passage on forgiveness. It was clear to us that the Salvation Army is making a significant difference in the lives of those it ministers to in Prague.

It has been said that Americans have low outer walls and high inner walls, but Czechs have high outer walls and low inner walls. What this means is that Americans will tend to be friendly on a surface level, but are resistant to deeper conversations about personal issues. Czechs, on the other hand, tend to be reserved and resist letting you into their lives at all. But, once you are in, they will freely bear their soul to you. This rang true with our interactions with the Czechs we encountered. This Salvation Army group had developed trusting relationships. Those in the group had access to the inner walls of each other's lives.

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, we spent the morning processing our experiences in Prague up to that point, then packed up our things and moved from the Funka's to the Limmer's (pictured above). During our time in Prague, we stayed in three different homes. Each of them offered something unique and valuable to our Prague experience. Jessica's flat offered us a place were we could adjust to the 10 hour time difference, unwind, and get acclimated to the city. The Funka's offered us a central location, spacious room, insight into the the church and Czech culture, along with historical orientation to the area. The Limmer's place offered one of the best views of Prague in the city.

Andy and Nicole Limmer teach at Riverside School, a British International School in Prague. Andy teaches high school science and Nicole teaches English to parents. They have an amazing gift of hospitality. Their master suite (pictured above) is set aside for guests, while they stay in smaller rooms of the house. We were guests #97 and #98 since they moved to Prague two and a half years ago! In addition to hospitality, they also provide informal life coaching, which was very helpful for us as we processed things from our trip.