Saturday, December 31, 2011

Gifts from Abroad

So I must be honest: When I heard that there was a package coming from America to the Czech Republic for me, I was a bit worried about the hassle that would be caused by such a package: the cost, the time, the adventure and travel to the special post/customs office (which a friend of mine affectionately called the 3rd circle of hell) and then the money they would charge me to receive this package. Luckily, Satan wasn't around when I went to pick up my package; everything was fine and I was really glad to receive such a package from my Church family in Franklin! So here are the pictures of my joy:

OOOOHhhhhh a PACKAGE from AMERICA
WRAPPING PAPER

Couldn't wait to finish opening my gifts before I had one of these...
















Really, this was an awesome package to receive!    



















So thanks to everyone who gave time and money to send me a little something special this holiday! I really appreciate it! God bless you all, you'll be hearing more from me soon... but I want to be hearing from you also!  So send me a line--
rebecca.ashton@my.wheaton.edu

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

church thoughts

About a month ago, I started to write a blog that went something like this:

"I can genuinely say that church on Sunday was the worse part of my college experience.
For the past 4 years while I was away at college*, I always struggled with Sunday. Sunday meant getting up and going through the ritual, when I had a million homework assignments due the next week that I should have done instead. Sunday meant that campus was empty. Sunday had a massive existential and angsty feel to it; was it the end of the previous week or the beginning of the next? Either way, it was stressful; I was either finishing behind or starting behind. And church didn’t help it. Whether I was at Jericho Road or Resurrection, I felt like a consumer. I went to one because I believed that their vision of what the church should look like was right. I went to the other because I liked the liturgy. But each week would pass and I never seriously met other people outside my college friends. They were my community, except I had that community all week, whenever I wanted. So what was the point of church? I didn’t see one. I was far too busy to participate in anything extracurricular to Wheaton. I went because I knew I ought to. I went to “do the right thing”."

When I started this blog about a month ago, I wanted to finish it with "But here in Prague, I've found a place where I belong and I'm content." Yet a month has passed, and so my thoughts have progressed.

We'll start with these thoughts, and I will add more in the coming days.