They’re Here!

Last Friday morning we got up early and drove to Vienna in eager anticipation of something we have prayed and waited for since late 2012.  Around 11:00 a.m., Miriam and Evan Grady rolled out of the baggage claim area at the Vienna airport, laden with tons of bags.  They were pretty tired, having slept for only three hours on the flight over the Atlantic; so we got into our car and headed back to Zlin. 

Both of them were sound asleep within minutes of leaving the airport, so we just kept going until we arrived in Brno.  We stopped for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants in Brno – the IKEA restaurant (plainly, we don’t get out much J ). 

Thank you for praying for Miriam.  Thank you for supporting her.  Thank you for sending her to us.  May God bless you for all of this.

God was gracious to us yesterday.  We had to go to the local offices of the Foreign Police to register Miriam’s and Evan’s presence in the Czech Republic.  Everything went smoothly.

Please pray with us that we will quickly find an apartment for Miriam and Evan, a school for Evan, and that we would be able to get visas for them without any trouble.    

A New Cultural Experience

Something that has become very obvious to us is this: even if we lived in the Czech Republic for the next 50 years, we would not ever truly become Czechs.  Your culture is something that you learn, at least in part.  But far more of what we “know” from our culture is simply absorbed in everyday life as we grow up.  Going to balls was never a part of our cultural experience as children, or as adults.  We had no reference for this very common aspect of Czech culture – until very recently.  

We were invited to attend a rather small ball in a village about 30 miles from our city.  There was a live band, lots of excellent food, and a huge helping of time together with friends.  One thing we have learned about our new culture is that people here truly value time spent together - the longer, the better.  A ball provides a great opportunity to be with those you care about.  And we enjoyed the ball for that reason more than any other.