It's All Grace

a journey with the Thomason family

Seeing Friends and Enjoying Saturday at Home

You might say the day got off to an early start because at 4:30am we were up and at em’. No, weren’t catching a plane or train or going on a trip, but we were “meeting up” with with friends via video chat this morning. Since California is nine hours behind us, we had to get up early to try and meet them before they go to bed. Above is a photo I quickly took with my iPhone of us all “gathered” together, but we enjoyed a sweet time talking with close friends from our church in the States. It was actually the firs time we had done something like this with them and we’re hoping to do it more often in the future. They asked a lot of great questions and were just an encouragement and we ended with a time of prayer which was really nice. As always, we’re super thankful for the technology God has provided for us to connect in this way. It was great to see you, friends!

We ended up having time to go back to bed for a bit this morning, but the kids were awake not long after we fell asleep–such is life. Bethany made pancakes, bacon, and eggs this morning and we ended up having more of a brunch than a breakfast which was kind of fun. The kids were playing in the living room and were “camping” so I joined in on the phone while Bethany was doing laundry this afternoon. She also took a few photos, one of which is above as we were “sleeping” under the stars. The kids’ imaginations continue to grow and grow and I just love joining in on the process.

Titus got a letter today! He was pretty stoked when he opened our front door and found it sitting on the steps. I think it got a little rain on it, but there was no damage. We let him open it and inside he found $5 bucks (above are two photos of him opening it)! His aunt, uncle, and cousins are so nice to send this to him for his 5th birthday and he was excited to “buy a toy” with his new wealth. Obviously, American money isn’t accepted here in Czech, but I was able to exchange it for him at a very reasonable rate at the Parental Exchange (e.g. my wallet). Since I needed to go to the store anyways, this afternoon I took him along and allowed him to buy something from the toy aisle with his money. He ended up getting a new, small Star Wars lego set and I even let him buy it himself at the check-out line.

This evening Titus and I went to the youth group at church, but we arrived a little late because we didn’t know they had changed the start time again. The main church pastors were there sharing their testimonies and the whole topic tonight was on the Spirit of God. Our friend Martina helped translate a majority of their messages and Titus did a pretty good job of being self-controlled and sitting next to us. It seemed like the night went a little long and I had to take Titus home during their small group time at the end of the night. The youth group was going to be watching a hockey game after that, but I wasn’t able to go back tonight to join them. However, it was nice to be there, but the language barrier is still so hard and that’s often discouraging.

As the days continue to get longer and longer, the sunsets here are just incredible. When we pulled in to the driveway tonight, the church next door was so beautiful and golden. With a few puffy clouds above it in the blue sky, it just glistened so I had to take a photo (above). This is just an incredible time of year in Czech and if you’re ever coming to this part of the world try to come at this time of year. The weather is mild (not too cold, but not too hot) and even though there was a little rain this morning it cleared up beautifully this afternoon and evening. As much as I love California, I’ve enjoyed the new experience of weather here in Czech and am definitely thankful to the Lord for the beautiful sunset we saw tonight!

May 2, 2015
The Last on the First

Today is kind of a special day. Almost twelve months ago our church family in the States brought us a box full of envelopes and each envelope was marked with a month and was packed full. Actually, I remember the night they brought them to us because it was a day or two before we loaded our shipping container that was headed for Czech and they wanted to make sure we were able to ship them to our new home here. We were instructed that we weren’t allowed to open them until we moved to Czech and that we should open one a month for the first year. So for the past year that’s exactly what we’ve done. Sadly, though, that all comes to an end today. We opened the May envelope tonight which is our last one and it feels like it’s the end of an era.

What made today’s envelope double special was it was marked as coming from Steve and Judy who were just here visiting us! I don’t think they knew when they packed this envelope that they would be visiting us just a week prior to us opening it, but it was so fun to see the gifts they sent, read the letter they wrote, and know that we are loved by them. I also don’t think they thought this would be our last envelope because well, it wasn’t supposed to be. Inside were many fun things and it was really fun to tell Titus and Avery that this was all from our friends who were just here visiting us. So without further adieu, here’s some photos of us opening our last envelope (captions beneath each).

Avery was especially excited for this envelope because it was colorful and “really heavy.” She was literally jumping up and down before we went and got it in our storage room down the hall. Both her and Titus assumed their normal positions on the couch and gave a big “cheeeeeeese” smile.

After helping them get the envelope open, the kids found alphabet stickers, construction paper, and new crayons! Bethany was especially excited that the pack of construction paper had the color brown because she was saying she didn’t have any during Thanksgiving when her and Titus were trying to make a little paper turkey.

Titus was thrilled for his new Lightning McQueen toothbrush. Here you can see him smiling and oozing with joy. He made sure we let him use it to brush his teeth tonight and he asked he if he could use it every night. When I told him, “Sure, bud,” he yelled, “Mom, I can use it every night!”

The one thing I love about Steve and Judy is their love for good books. We had a great time this past week talking books with them and swapping titles of what we have read and they have read. It came as no surprise that inside our envelope tonight were three books that they wanted us to have. There was one for the kids, one for dad (me), and one for both Bethany and me. The books are (from left to right in the photo above): God’s Wisdom by Sally Michael, Being A Dad Who Leads by John MacArthur, and one we discussed this past week which is Name Above All Names by Alistair Begg and Sinclair B. Ferguson. Fewer things bring me more joy than the gift of new books. Thank you, Steve and Judy!

Outside the envelope, there were other gifts that Steve and Judy hand delivered us this past week that we are just spending time looking at tonight. These are physical gifts as much as they are the gift of words. We have a pile of cards and letters that we’re reading tonight above is just one photo of many which are handwritten notes of encouragement. Even as I type Bethany just opened a card that was from the senior’s Bible study, again with words and short notes of much encouragement. These are a special joy to us and we’re so very thankful for a sending church that deeply cares about their missionaries. This past week we have been overwhelmed by their kindness in sending Steve and Judy, the year-long envelopes, and even these kind words. To our friends and church family at Placerita, we love you and think of you often. There are no better words that describe how we feel than what Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:3-6).

May 1, 2015
The Last Day of April

“Daddy, I have to show you something,” Avery said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me in to the living room. “I made a playground.” Above is a photo of what she made and this was her version of a “playground.” Her little mind continues to create and explore and I think it’s an incredible and wonderful process.

Back at the JV offices today we were hard at work trying to put the finishing touches on a bunch of different projects as we get ready for the spring conference next week. Everything from name tags, conference booklets, conference materials, etc. we were trying to get out to the printer to have by early next week. Tomorrow is some kind of Czech holiday so we lost a day, but we’re hoping it’ll all be done in time for the conference to start on Wednesday. It’ll probably be a busy week for me as I’ll be helping with photography, leading a communications session, and even playing drums/guitar for a few worship sets. It should be a great week and I’m really excited to see some of our friends from around Central and Eastern Europe.

I took the above photo tonight of me with Titus and Avery because they were in an especially good mood as we sat on the couch. It’s been so nice to be healthy for the past month or so and I think it’s the healthiest we’ve been since we arrived in Czech. I honestly thought when the weather turned a little cooler this week that we might get sick, but so far we’re doing well.

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is the first of May. The past ten months have absolutely flown by and Bethany and I were talking about it last night as she’s now 35 weeks along with baby #3. We’ve have about a month left before we get to meet our second daughter and I’m getting excited! God’s timing is perfect and we’re looking forward to another little one in our home. They are all a blessing from Him!

April 30, 2015
Early Trains and Backyard Baseball

Sleep was a bit minimal last night as the kids were up a few times and I had that weird feeling you get when you’re supposed to wake up early and feel like you might sleep through your alarm. I needed to get up at 5:30am to help Steve and Judy catch their 6:00 train. But during the night I found myself rolling over and checking the time until I finally just got up before the alarm went off. It was cold and wet this morning as I walked over to where they were staying and helped them get their bags on the train and get them settled. I asked the train attendant if I could get on the train and she said it was fine, but the train almost left with me still on it! I ended up running to a closed to, forcing it open and then jumped off. A guy yelled at me in Czech and the train quickly pulled away. Yeah, I’m a rebel.

I’ve been away from the JV office for a few days with Steve and Judy in town, but I was back today and things were busy as expected with spring conference happening next week. There’s been a lot of printer deadlines to try and meet that our team has been working hard on. I’m excited about the stuff we’ve created and how it’s all turning out. Now we’re just hoping it’ll all be printed in time for everyone to enjoy!

It stayed colder today, but that didn’t keep me and the kids from doing a little backyard baseball tonight while mommy was making dinner. Lately Avery has assumed the role of “Umpire Avery” which I think is a mix of a catcher, umpire, and infielder. I say that because she’ll sit behind the plate like she’s holding a glove (catcher), then when Titus hits the ball she chases him around with another ball (infielder), and when he reaches home plate she always calls him “safe!” (umpire). Yeah, she’s really a utility player which comes in handy when there’s only three of you on the field.

With minimum sleep last night I’m ready for bed, so I’ll keep this post short tonight. Happy Wednesday!

April 29, 2015
Steve and Judy

For the past five days we have had the joy and privilege of having our friends Steve and Judy with us here in Czech Republic. As has been true of our sending church for many years, they sent us Steve and Judy this week to be an encouragement and to just spend some face to face time with us. We have know Steve and Judy for a long time, but we’ve never had the kind of time with them that we had this week. It was special, fun, encouraging, and they leave us with our hearts full of thankfulness.

Since today was our last day with them, I really wanted to make sure they get to see where I work and meet more of the Josiah Venture (JV) team. This morning we went in to Frydlant where the JV office is and did just that. In typical Steve and Judy fashion, they were meeting people, asking lots of questions, and I think just trying to be an encouragement. Anyone who knows this wonderful couple knows that they just love to encourage others and I think that happened today. I snapped really candid moments of them talking our office today which you can see below. I love how Steve has his notepad and is taking notes (no doubt so he can pray for things) and Judy is talking with my teammate John. A little later they gathered everyone in the office just to pray for us and for the ministry here. In the best sense possible, I can honestly say that whenever I spend time with Steve and Judy I realize just how much my prayer time is lacking! They are truly an example of a couple who prays.

Speaking of prayer, that’s exactly what we spent time tonight doing with them after dinner. We put the kids to bed and talked for a while, but then we just prayed. Every Christian knows you can’t pray enough. We are in a constant state of reliance upon our God for everything in life and prayer is one way do just that. I’m reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Steve and Judy are without a doubt an example of a couple who prays without ceasing, but I would add that rejoicing and thankfulness are also very characteristic of them.

Earlier this week Steve asked us, “What are you thankful for?” and I’m still thinking about it. I was able to list off a few things, but I even realized this morning I left out our new daughter that’s due in a month! How could I not think of our baby girl on a list of things to be thankful for?! Steve again reminded us tonight to be thankful. In fact, he challenged me with Proverbs 31:28 “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” He was reminding me to vocalize my thankfulness for Bethany and all that she does and to make sure I teach and train our kids to do the same. Such a helpful reminder from God’s Word and from a man of God who is an example of this.

Steve and Judy, we are so thankful for our time with you. Thank you for taking the time to be with us and for sharing your lives with us. Thank you for the parenting help, the reminders to pray and pray often, and most importantly pointing us to Christ through His Word and your example. We are blessed to know you and call you our friends.

April 28, 2015