September 2024

Little Linguists

It typically takes a few weeks for the Little Linguists class to gain new interest in the new school year as many of the toddlers begin preschool, so we have to wait a few weeks until new families hear about the class before our room is full again. However, since some of the toddlers only go to preschool a couple days a week if their mom is still on maternity leave with a younger sibling (since maternity leave in Czech is three years paid), the moms have opted out of Tuesday preschool so their toddlers can keep coming to Little Linguists! I love that they are so excited about the classes and want to continue for as long as they can. 

We started Little Linguists for the school year with our favorite outer space theme and song "Zoom, Zoom!" This is a theme we go back to regularly, and the toddlers suggest we sing "Zoom, Zoom" following most other lessons. There is always so much to do in this theme with colorful planet cards on the magnet board and pattern recognition at the manipulate learning table. 

Our favorite activity with this theme though is light exploration! I break a handful of glow-sticks, grab many colorful mini flashlights and lay out multiple telescope galaxy pictures. We turn out the lights and the kids have best time exploring with the little lights. If that wasn't enough, we also make paper rockets with large rubberbands that shoot across the room. The toddlers giggle and chase the paper rockets and come back to reload by pulling the paper rocket against a rubberband looped around a chair. One of the toddlers had launched her rocket so far that she declared, "It must have reached Kendra!" Many of the parents had explained to their kids that I was in America over the summer and it's really far to come see me, so we believe this is what she was referring to since I was sitting right next to her - it was her way of saying her rocket went so far! We finished up the morning of activities with neon markers and star stickers on black paper.  There is just always something exciting about vibrant colors against black paper.

 

Kid's Club - Boskovice

We began kid's clubs in two of our three locations this month. I have enjoyed being at both locations on rotation and getting to spend the time with the kids as they get back in the swing of the new school year. At our center in Boskovice, it was almost like we didn't have the summer break as the kids all came back and fell into their regular after-school activities. I grabbed a group just sitting around and taught them how to play a game called "Pass the Pigs." Another leader watched as this group of teens actively participated in a couple long rounds of this game and then asked, "How did you do that? I never thought those kids would want to play a table game. They put on a 'cool front' and are typically really hesitant to organized activities." I told this other leader, "I could tell that with this group, and it helped one of our junior leaders also encouraged participation, but you also have to know what game would appeal to your crowd. In this game, you roll pigs on the table and risk your points - in my experience, when getting teenage boys to participate, anytime you can risk all your points, the game is suddenly much more appealing!" Needless to say, we have a new favorite game with these kids! 

Kid's Club - Velke Opatovice

Our kid's club in Velke Opatovice is a smaller crowd at the start of the new school year, but a handful of the regulars love to drop in and hang out with us. I love how comfortable they are in the space and with the leaders, often asking immediately when walking through the doors if they can challenge us in foosball or any other game. I'm always up for a round a foosball! After playing a few rounds with one student, I rotated with another leader and went to sit next to different student who was playing a game on her phone. I said, "oh, that looks interesting! Is that a fun game?" She replied, "not really..." I said, "well, we have many games here, let's play something together." We grabbed my favorite two player game, Logic. This girl guessed my pattern in only two tries! I have never seen anyone guess that quickly! We had fun playing many more games before finishing club that day.

School Outreach

 

As you may have noticed, I did not begin regular English Classes with my Elementary students like I usually start in autumn. I have some upcoming ministry changes in addition to other activities, like a team of Americans arriving for the kick-off of the school year activities at the start of the week, that require my attention and organization for my team. I adore all my students, and it was hard not starting the regular classes again, but I also could not even think about how I would have managed that. To make up for my desire to see my students again, I talked with one friend who teaches in a village school where many of my students from last year attend. I came in for a special day of regular English Class activities - even bringing our character friends - Gerald, Piggie, and Pigeon.

We read a book, played a guessing game with colorful birds on our heads, and then the students created their own pictures of birds on Gerald's head (like in the book). We of course ended the lesson with American candy.  It was so fun to see these students' excitement for this typical English Class lesson. One of my favorite parts of teaching kids is training in new translators. I grabbed one of my former students from his 5th grade classroom and pulled him in to translate for all the younger levels. He did such an amazing job and showed many skills of a great, upcoming translator! I was so proud of all of them and loved investing in the school in this way.

 

Youth Group 

We came back together in this new school year as a youth group and have been talking about what it means to fully rely on God and trust each other. It has been fun seeing everyone after summer and reconnecting again. Throughout the summer, we saw each other as we worked together at LetFest and spent free time grabbing ice cream or hanging out, but we are always looking forward to seeing each other again! One of my favorite parts of this ministry is the deep questions from these youth. A young friend asked to meet with me last week to discuss prayer. I was thrilled to meet with her as we talked about what it means to pray and how to have a lasting relationship with our Creator and communicate with Him through prayer. These youth are ready for more leadership in the upcoming year, and I love encouraging them and supporting them in their potential. I continue to help them and lead in this season and will then take a step back to let them really thrive in their leadership growth.

Weekend Trips

A group of North American missionary friends and I joined together in Prague for our regular book club meeting.  We just started a new book about the rebirth of belief in God throughout Europe. While we were all in agreement that many of the examples have not quite reached Czech churches yet, we can see how these principles are coming on the horizon and could affect the Czech church culture as a whole in the upcoming years. There are so many perspectives as we come from churches and communities all around Czech and get to encourage each other in this.

At the beginning of the month, I group of friends and I went on an overnight roadtrip to celebrate our friend's marriage! It was a fun time at the wedding and on the road with this group of friends. We all enjoyed long conversations together and feeling even more connected with each other through this one friend and all the ways she has encouraged our friendships.

 

Salzburg

For many years, I have figured out the best time to travel in Europe is early September. The weather is perfect and the kids are back in school, making tourist locations a little less chaotic. Last year, a friend and I took advantage of this timing since we start youth clubs a couple weeks into September at ELIM and she starts university later in September as well. We decided to go on another trip this year at that same time, and it was the perfect mix of city and nature! Salzburg captured our hearts. 

My friend had never seen Sound Of Music before, which is a must before visiting Salzburg. (She loved it and watched it twice, she herself a musician.) We went to many of the locations in the film - jumped the steps in the garden, walked around the fountain, ran through the tunnel of greenery, visited the abbey, and then made like the Von Trapps and climbed the mountain! It was a good 3.5 hour hike to the top (if you want to just do stair steppers for four hours, this is the right hike!). Honestly, it was probably my favorite part, as I've learned I really enjoy the adrenaline of mountain hiking and reaching the summit! 

Untersberg - elevation 1,973m.

We absolutely loved the museums (both of us keen on history) and especially had enjoyed the birthplace of Mozart. It was a quick trip - just two full days - but it was filled with the perfect amount of nature, history, music/art, and especially time together as sweet friends.

Someone once told me they only count having visited a place if they met a local. As we were walking around Salzburg, I saw this guy with a Twins jersey! Being a fellow Twins fan myself, I walked right up to him and asked, "are you a Twins fan? I'm from Minnesota!" He shared he had been a au pair in Minnesota for an extended time and had become an avid Twins fan going to seven games in the season! Though originally from Salzburg, I definitely made quick friends with a local.