Thank You, Jesus!

We made it to Lousville, KY on Sunday evening 8:30pm eastern time - both Kenya and Czech interns. We were greeted by many welcoming faces from Southeast Christian Church. 
This past Monday and Tuesday, all nine interns have been transitioning back into our North American culture. Once again, we have been under the direct care of the amazing Mi2 team: Ben, Will, Jerri Lynn, and Blake. We are slowly working our way back into society, the same society as different people. Three months in another culture under the amazing leadership of Josiah Venture (Czech Republic) and Life In Abundance (Kenya) can change you, and thank the Lord it has. 
It has been incredible to come back together with the people I met on May 19, 2012 and to see and hear the changes that have taken place in their lives. These past few days with the Mi2 have been such a blessing. I am thankful to experience our first steps back into America together; and tonight around 8pm I will step back into Canada with my dad. 
I'm still not fully capable of expressing how I feel. I am mourning the end of a season; every once in a while I'll cry. I am excited for the changes that have taken place and am looking forward to what is next, although I know that re-entering life here will be interesting. I am 'super pumped' to see my family and dear friends at home whom I have missed these 3 months. At the moment and every moment coming, I must rest in Jesus and rely on Him to transform me. At this moment and every moment coming I am responsible for what this experience has given me, which is much. 
Thank You Jesus that You are alive in me, in you our supporters, in Czech and around the world! Thank You Jesus that you will never leave us and that You will continue to lead us on this transforming journey. 
Our God is greater!

Rejoice in the Lord, always, 

Esther.

The Buses are Loading

Good Morning from Prague!
We have the privilege of  being in the beautiful capital of Czech Republic as we say farewell to our beloved friends. This morning at 9:45 Sarah, Chelsie and I will fly away from our summer family and summer home. Unfortunately I do not have much time to expound (we have been rather busy since camp ended on Friday), so I will give you all a quick run-down of our final hours.
First off, our third and final camp was amazing. We joined another intern team to support Kutna Hora for their first English camp! It was a small and intimate camp with few unbelievers (typical for first-time camps). It was encouraging to be with such a passionate group of Christians; I believe our light, life and love was a strong testimony to the unbelievers who continuously heard the name of Jesus.
We arrived in Prague Friday afternoon. From that time until now our team has been making the most of our final hours together. We have visited Alfons Mucha's Slav Epic, debriefed our summer, encouraged one another, ate together and even got to play Banana Grams together. We have cherished this time. Our camp coordinators, Nate and Emily Hughes, Rob and Audrey Chestnut, and Martina are also here in Prague to debrief with us and to send off their friends. I am glad for that, it will be difficult to say goodbye to our incredible leaders.
Yesterday I was able to chat with a couple from my church, Doug and Jean Lindsay! They arrived here in Prague yesterday on vacation. What a joy it was to see them and be reminded of the wonderful home I have in Canada.
In a half an hour we will say our next goodbye; now I must get my things together, eat breakfast and walk to the metro.

Rejoice in the Lord always!

Esther.

Make Me a Servant.

 Philippians 2:1-11

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose… (vs. 1-2)

As our internship here in Czech Republic comes to a close, it is difficult to express what we are experiencing. Logistically, all Czech English Camp teams are together, finishing training for our third and final week of camp. Our intern team will be partnering with Jerry and Melissa’s intern team to lead Kutna Hora in their very first JV English Camp. Today we will say ‘goodbye’ to all other intern teams.

Our final few hours with our Czech family from Colorado, the Hartmans.

Earlier this week we parted with our dear friends, the Hartman family. They have been an encouragement, a comfort, a source of fellowship, tenderness and compassion. I will and do miss them dearly.

It’s difficult to know how to say ‘goodbye’ and yet I am convinced that there is a healthy way to do it… can anyone tell me that way? There was a time in my life when my heart was much harder and goodbyes were easy; I simply closed up my heart, decided not to feel and walked away. But thanks to the transforming power of Jesus Christ in my life, I now bawl at the dinner table the night before I leave (yesterday). By that I mean to say, God has grown my willingness and capacity to love and to express emotion, and now it is no longer easy to say ‘goodbye.’

During that period of ‘cold-heartedness,’ I often questioned whether or not I had experienced what Philippians 2:1-2 describes. It was one of those passages that I read with my head but could not connect to with my heart. Without question I now know this encouragement from being united with Christ, comfort from His love, fellowship with the Spirit, this tenderness and compasstion. I'm sure I have experienced it throughout my life, but I have not been able to recognize it. 

So now I have a responsibility: to be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose... to be a servant like Jesus out of love (Phil 2:3-11, Gal 5:13). How can I best serve the people that I love? How can I love them well?

As I say 'goodbye,' I am realizing how much I love the people around me. I wish that I would have expressed my love more often and more openly. This is most likely the next step in my ongoing lesson on love - to open my heart, to lay down the walls so that I can fully serve the people around me while they are around me.

Please continue to pray for all intern teams and JV camps! There is one more round of harvest and it is as ripe as the previous two. 

Please pray that we would continue to experience the fullness of Philippians 2:1-11, and that we would keep our focus on today. 

Thank you all so much. I love you.

Rejoice in the Lord always, 

Esther.

My dear friends, the members of Team Granola, the intern team we lived with in Cesky Tesin.