I suppose that if there is a time for every purpose under heaven that there is a time to start ministry trips and a time to finish ministry trips.  As I write this final blog from my hotel room in Prague, we have reached the time to finish.

This morning we combined our bags for the train trip back to Prague.  Chris, Leah, Noah, and I had a wonderful breakfast with Radek and Dorka (their parents both were under the weather otherwise they would have joined us as well).  Their hospitality and genuine love for us has made us feel like part of the family ever since we arrived.  Our conversation was upbeat, but at least for me, there was a tinge of sadness knowing that this would be our last meal together for quite a while.

After breakfast we headed toward the train station in Český Těšín where all the Sandy family members were united as homestay families brought them to our meeting point.  I was blessed by how many people came to see us off.  Both parents and students, Czech and American, enjoyed our last moments of fellowship before our departure.  All of these people had become very dear to us, and it is exciting to see God working in each of their lives in different ways.

Our plans met a minor disruption due to a delay of our original train.  We needed to reroute to another station (Ostrava-Svinov) and pick up a different train to Prague.  Radek came with us to Ostrava and made sure that we were safely aboard the new train before heading back to his home on a different train.  Radek is amazing!  Thanks, Radek!

As we arrived back in Prague, the winter wonderland has been replaced by a mixture of grey slush and still untouched powder.  This captures the state of all of our hearts as we reflect with wonder upon the privilege of being part of God’s work in the Czech Republic this week.  We have accomplished our goals and served faithfully – we are filled with joy. But with grey sadness we also know we must leave our friends behind.

Tomorrow, we head for the airport at 3:45am.  If all goes well, we will arrive back in Phoenix on Thursday evening.  There seems to be something wrong with our reservations due to rerouting on our outbound flight.  I trust that God will get us home somehow.

We look forward to seeing you all soon.  Thank you for keeping us in your prayers and following along in our adventures.  This is Doug, signing off.