5 weeks and counting...

Less than five weeks separate Jamie and me from our new life in the Czech Republic. Questions abound in our thoughts and rattle around in our heads constantly. One thing, though, is for certain; distance will be a reality. Yet, is distance really such a bad thing? Yes, we know that separation will be difficult for our family and friends and it will surely strain us to a point, but I can't help being excited at the prospect. I mean, for the first time in our whole lives, Jamie and I will be on our own. College gave us a small taste of what independence and responsibility are like, but now we're entering into the world_literally.
Growing up as triplet and Jamie coming from a family that is very close, has given us both childhoods where individuality was hard to come by: it was hard for me, as a young boy, to attain a sense of ownership about my accomplishments, because my brothers were usually doing the same thing; that is how it worked. However, with this trip to the Czech Republic, we now have a chance to see for ourselves and know in the deepest recesses of our emotions what it means to be together, just the two of us. This mission to the Czech Republic, we feel, is the perfect way for us to start out our marriage. To many, leaving the country to live in a foreign nation where you don't speak the language would be marital hell; the stress is more acute, the loneliness is vast and the lack of friendship is exacerbated by the fact that you can't communicate well. Yet, for Jamie an I, we feel that these circumstances can work one of two ways: one, is to lead us apart, if we let the challenges drive a wedge between the two of us; or two, they can work to bring us together, as we rely on each other for our main source of emotional support. There aren't many long-time friends to confide in, there won't be familiar "hide-a-ways" to lock our selves in, and there won't be people around who can relate to our emotions; no, all there will be is each other.
Being married has brought much unwanted "advice" from adults who have shrouded their cynicism towards marriage with a shallow veneer of paternal guidance, and it has affected our emotional equilibrium more than we would like to admit. So, while there are those who would say that our view of traveling abroad as a married couple is naive and crazy, Jamie and I can only answer back as Dostoevsky so eloquently wrote:

"it was a lovely night, one of those nights, dear reader, which can only happen when you are young. They Sky was so bright and starry that when you looked at it the first question that came into your mind was whether it was really possible that all sorts of bad-tempered and unstable people could live under a glorious sky."

-Fyodor Dostoevsky

I guess, in the end, this Czech Mission is our Starry Sky; Jamie and I are young, we are full of hope and, to some, we might be naive. We want our naivety to be challenged and we want tangible examples of how hard this ministry will be, but let that come in God's own planning. For now, what we want is to hold onto our hope for what the mission can be and to build onto the creativity that has already been laid by Kati.

I know that Jan has already written a note in the latest newsletter, where he talks about how this will be an "interesting" time for Jamie and I. Yes, this is going to be one of the hardest and one of the best experiences of our lives and we are so glad that we get to share it, not only with each other, but with all of those involved: from the people in Policka to those in Ohio who will be praying. There is no telling what the next two years might mean for the ministry in Policka, or for Jamie and I; it is good that way.