It's All Grace

a journey with the Thomason family

  • Our Year in Czech
  • Christmas Trees
  • Bookshelf
Illustration of a bird flying.
  • Hanging With the Millers In Poland

    Hanging in Poland With the Millers

    The Miller family is a blast. Bethany and I first met Korban and Tanya at Josiah Venture orientation in October 2012 where we spent a week together in Wheaton, IL. There’s a fun connection with them because their senior pastor in Indiana was roommates in college with Scott Ardavanis, our pastor at PBC for many years. They asked if we could drive out to Poland and take some family photos and we were excited about the opportunity. We saw them briefly back on the fourth of July but today we got to spend the afternoon and dinner together which was just a great time to catch up.

    Our afternoon started with the photos in the downtown area of where they live. There were some fun brick buildings and the weather was great so we snapped a few shots. The photo above is them walking right through this very long street where many people are walking and trains and busses travel through. You would never see anything really like it in the States, but we made use of it for a nice walking photo. When we finished there the kids all got suckers for doing such a good job. Here’s a little shot of all them.

    Hanging in Poland With the Millers

    After the downtown area we headed over to a park just a few blocks away. I don’t know why I didn’t get a picture of the giant tower in the middle. Not joking, I think it was like a 10 story sun dial. The play area had like a twenty foot climbing net that would never be legal in the States. Our kids loved it! But the sunlight was great at that time of day so I grabbed the Millers for a few more shots. Here’s one I really liked.

    Hanging in Poland With the Millers

    Behind them is an old fire station and really nice cafe/restaurant area. Bethany walked over there with Avery to use the restroom and she said it really felt like she in Europe and said it was very nice. I’m bummed I didn’t go check it out. We let the kids play a little longer and packed up the vans and headed for the Millers house.

    Hanging in Poland With the Millers (10/11/14)

    We had a wonderful, American style dinner! Cheeseburgers, homemade mac-n-cheese, and veggies were all part of the spread. It was delicious and I’m not gonna lie, I had two burgers. It was fun to hear from their daughters about their school experience as they have all only been in Poland for about ten months. Language is obviously still hard but their girls are getting along pretty well in school. It’s encouraging to see another family walking through the same kinds of things that we will be experiencing very soon. After dinner we enjoyed some fun desserts: rice crispy treats and frozen bananas with chocolate and nuts! Mmmmm…

    Hanging in Poland With the Millers (10/11/14)

    Before we left we had a short time of prayer for each of our families which was a blessing. As we were walking out the door, Titus kept saying, “Goodbye! Thanks for everything!” which we had never really heard him say before. It was hilarious and cute. He’s right though. Thanks, Millers, for a great day together and for having us over for dinner. Let’s do it again sometime!

    Hanging in Poland With the Millers (10/11/14)

    October 10, 2014
  • Taking A Few Family Photos

    Sunny Today (10/9/14)

    All we needed was one. One photo, that is. A supporting church of ours in the States was updating their directory and asked us for a new photo of our family. So late this afternoon we walked over to the center part of town and tried to get a couple shots using my tripod. What you see above is the best we could do. All in all, it’s not bad, although I was hoping for a better smile from Avery. I guess that’s the best you get when you tell her to say “coconut” because for some reason the word “cheese” was off limits.

    We went ahead and took a few other photos since the light was great and the kids were playing. Here’s a few more of just the kids…enjoy.

    Sunny Today (10/9/14)

    Sunny Today (10/9/14)

    Sunny Today (10/9/14)

    Sunny Today (10/9/14)

    Sunny Today (10/9/14)

    Tomorrow we’re headed into Poland to take some family photos for our friends there and we’re looking forward to visiting them and exploring a new city. Until then…I bid you adieu.

    October 9, 2014
  • New Creations

    One of the joys of working with young people is seeing God change their lives. Whether it’s watching God transform their hearts in to new creations at salvation or watching them on the path of discipleship as they become more and more like Christ, it’s always a joy. The video below is a sampling of some of the ways God has worked in the lives of young people this summer. Even though I only had minimal involvement in the creation of this video, my team was responsible for creating this content at this year’s fall conference. What I love about this video is how these young people, many of which are brand new believers, respond when they are asked about Jesus. The freshness of their faith is real, exciting, and even a little contagious. It’s a joy to think about Jesus and I think this video will remind of you of that.

    Tonight we had another “family night” dinner with our friends that live near us here in town. Kristin (who’s house we were at) made homemade chili and cornbread and Bethany brought a salad. It was a delicious meal, but more than anything, it was a great time together with the Yorman family and our mutual friend Rachael. The Yorman’s boys and our kids love to play together and that’s always fun to see them enjoy their friends. I was really thankful that they took the time to pray for our family and Kristin even shared that if we’re ever just in need of prayer that we shouldn’t hesitate to call or text. Isn’t that just a really practical way to minister to someone? I know Kristin read’s this blog and I just want to say thank you for your heart to serve our family in that way. We are blessed to call you friends.

    Last night at the store we found a wooden sled for $5 and bought it. It was in the clearance section for 75% off. Why something for winter would be on sale right now is still a little strange to me, but I was just as excited as the kids were to buy it. Titus said, let’s go play with it and Avery (age 2) quickly replied to him, “It’s not snowing outside!” She’s right, and even though we’ve been enjoying nice weather of late, I’m sure the cold will be upon us sooner than we think. To be honest, I’m a tiny bit concerned about how cold it gets here but I guess we’ll just have to trust that to the Lord as well.

    October 8, 2014
  • Another First: Drying on the Line

    My View (10/7/14)

    Tuesdays are just slightly nicer than the other days of the week. That’s mainly because we have our international team meetings on Tuesdays which aren’t really meetings where we work, but just spend time in God’s Word and prayer. Like the previous weeks, Dave Patty led the study this morning, and today it was out of Mark 6. The focus today was on looking at how Christ responded to a busy day of ministry. It was a helpful discussion and look at Jesus with his disciples and a welcome realignment for my own heart.

    My View (10/7/14)

    Bethany took Titus and Avery to the park today because the weather was so nice. The photo above is of Titus throwing leaves in the air and in the background you can see his new pre-school which he should be starting on Monday if all goes well. We’re not sure what to expect at this point but we’re trusting the Lord with the whole process of starting school.

    Below is a photo of Titus today, playing outside with me. I’ve never really seen him climb and hang on something like this but here he is on the garage door. We got a monkey on our hands.

    My View (10/7/14)

    As I drove in today I saw our laundry hanging on the clothes line outside. This was strange to me because, well, we have a dryer inside. I came inside and asked Bethany about it and she said it was so nice and sunny she decided to hang the clothes today. Well, alright then. Later this evening as it was getting dark she asked me to go and get them off the line which I think may be the first time in my life I have done that. I remember growing up that I had a friend whose mom would do that, but I don’t ever remember my own clothes on a line. There’s a first time for everything…especially when you’re in Czech.

    My View (10/7/14)

    October 7, 2014
  • Sick Cycle Carousel

    I hate to sound like a broken record, but the kids and Bethany are fully sick yet again. This time the kids have fevers and Bethany has actually had some significant stomach pain today. I’m starting to think our bodies are genuinely adjusting to this new locale and different weather patterns, but I’m not a scientist or very smart really, so take that with a grain of salt (also, that idiom is kind of weird…”with a grain of salt?”). So far I am free of the sickness that’s ailing my entire family, but I have a feeling that won’t last long. I’m really not trying to be pessimistic, I just look at the history and that’s usually what happens (I’m sure our family is not alone on this sick cycle carousel going round and round).

    Juicing (10/6/14)

    I was able to have lunch today with my friend Zach. He and I go WAY back and have been friends since the fourth grade and he was the first person to invite me to youth group at church when we were like 10 or something. He is definitely like a brother to me and it’s always encouraging to spend time with him. Sadly, he and his wife will be moving to Prague (about 4 hours from where we live) soon and we won’t be as close to be able to grab lunch, but I am genuinely excited for what the ministry God has for them there. It’s seriously so cool to do ministry with your friends.

    That’s all from me tonight. I’m off to read my Bible and go to bed.

    October 6, 2014
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