We're moving to Czech! Plain and simple! Jonathan Smiley and I have traveled to Czech Republic and Slovenia on multiple mission trips since 2002 and have developed not only a love for the culture, but a love for the people! The friendships that we have developed over the years have been powerful and lifelong.

It is obvious that God has placed a love and a calling on both our hearts to move to Prague, Czech Republic and serve God in a more permanent, long term manner. Smiley has felt this calling for 5 years now and I have been hearing the call to move for the last two years. Our goal is to relocate for a minimum of 13 months starting in August of 2011 and return the following fall. To read more about our calling and our trip details, please see our Missions Page.

This is not an easy undertaking as we had originally hoped to be in Prague this year. It was a heartbreaking frustration to see all our dear friends this year whom we have such a heart for and not be able to stay after camp was over. God has so much in store for them and its difficult not being able to serve Him there now! However, it's all in God's timing as the funds were not available last year for either of us. Despite this, God has continued to call us and we know with out a doubt that we will be there next year. BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP! If you would like to support Jonathan Smiley or myself, Blake Myers, please visit our Support Us page to find our more about how to do so!

We will be keeping an active blog over the next couple months to record and share our plans, difficulties, and prayer requests as we prepare for our mission trip. Once we arrive in country we will use the blog to update all our supporters on our experiences and how God is moving. Our most recent post will always be posted below and if you would like to read our previous blogs, you can visit our blog / archive page.

Skype conference anyone?

Its been two weeks since we've returned from the mission trip. School has started off with a fury and Smiley reports that he's got more choreography work and coaching lined up than he knows what to do with. Since returning I've had several website requests come out of the woodwork which is promising on the fundraising end for both of us!

Smiley and I had the opportunity to get on Skype tonight and have a video conference and check in on a few items in preparation for next year. We are quickly discovering that the VISA process is, well ... enjoyable? ya, as enjoyable as a root canal ... The process is not well explained and there's not a place in cali or ohio that will take the type of VISA photos required by the Czech government :/ Never fear, we will find one somewhere! Any ideas?

The best thing about the Skype conference was the ability to see my brother's beard! Before leaving Czech, Smiley and I decided that we will not shave our beards until we have either moved there or have finalized all details of the trip and are simply awaiting the date of the move! Our chin fur is coming in nicely and its gonna be a veritable forest when its all said and done! Here is a pic from the last day we shaved (smiley trimmed the goat). Over the upcoming weeks and months we will randomly post a picture marking our growth and perhaps even log the length our "ZZ Tops" ... this should get interesting!

Thanks for all your prayers and support so far everyone! We appreciate all that you do for us!

Blake