Lizzy .

Lizzy is the first beautiful and brave soul that was excited enough, when I told her about this project, to start it off with me. it couldn't have been more fun and enriching weekend I got to spent with her in Liberec.

(this time I'm posting both in czech and english so you can read the original of Lizzy's answers in case you speak czech)

how old were you when you moved here from Russia? what made you take that step?

I was seventeen when I moved here from Russia. I longed for adventure and life on my own. it was really interesting to come into a completely different culture, foreign city, getting to know totally different people... I love new streets, roads... but I had no idea how hard it would be. I'm so thankful that the Lord didn't really let me feel the difficulty of the first year at that time. I felt  like I was walking a road that has already been walked through by God.

kolik ti bylo, když ses přistěhovala z Ruska? proč ses sem chtěla přestěhovat?

když jsem se přistěhovala z Ruska, bylo mě 17, strašně jsem toužila po dobrodružství a samostatném životě. bylo to pro mě zajímavý, jít do uplně cizí kultury, neznámýho města a seznamovat se s uplně jinýma lidma. Mám ráda neznámý nový ulice, cesty... Akorát jsem nevěděla předem, že to bude tak naročný. jsem moc vděčná Pánu, že náročnost prvního roku jsem v tu dobu tak moc necítila. cítila jsem, že jdu po cestě, která byla prošlapaná Bohem.

what was the hardest part of adjusting to your life in czech?

communication the first year was probably rhe hardest thing... I was scared to speak wrong, and when I wanted to express myself I lacked the right words, I felt handicapped. even when I was sorrounded by people, I felt isolated. I missed having deeper conversations, joking, or just laughing with a group of friends, I was used to those things in Russia... but I'm thankful to our youth group and how they supported me the first year. 

co bylo nejtěžší na zabydlení se v ČR?

nejtěžší asi byla komunikace první rok...bála se mluvit nesprávně, a když jsem se chtěla nějak vyjádřit, chyběli mě slova, cítila jsem se jako postižena...I když jsem byla mezi lidma, byla jsem izolovaná. chybělo mi povídat si na hlubší téma, vtipkovat, a jenom se smát v kolektivu, na co jsem byla zvyklá v Rusku... ale jsem hodně vděčna našim mládežníkům, jak mě podporovali první rok.

what do you miss the most about Russia and what do you like better here?

sometimes I miss the russian honesty. but I feel like people smile and like to plan stuff here a lot more and I like that.

co ti nejvíc chybí z domova v Rusku a co máš naopak radši tady?

občas mi chybí ruská upřímnost, ale zase tady je fajn lidská usměvavost a plánování.

what do you study? what do you enjoy about it?

I study textile and fashion design and I enjoy desing of any kind. web design, interior, fashion, industrial design... in fashion design I like to work with different and new shapes, new technologies, future, smart functions on clothing like a warm-up jacket or shoes with GPS... I like to imagine what people, with God's help, are capable of producing in 10,20,50 years...

co studuješ? a co tě na tom baví?

studuju textilní a oděvní návrhářství a zajímá mě design ve všech formách. web design, interiér, fashion, průmyslový design... ve svém oboru jsem ráda zabývam novýma tvarama v oděvu, novými technologiemi, budoucností, smart funkcemi na oblečení jako podehřívací sako nebo boty s navigaci... ráda přemýšlím nad tím, co dokážou lidí vymyslet s Boží pomoci za 10, 20, 50 let.. 

what is something you dream of doing in the future?

my dream is to write a book one day. a fairy-tale or when I'm older write something in my field of fashion design... but I don't think I'll be able to do it until maybe when I take a break from work and have kids or when I'm retired, that's when you have a lot more time to write something haha

co je tvým snem do budoucna? 

mým snem do budoucna je napsat knihu. vymyslet pohádku anebo ke stárnutí napsat něco o svém oboru... ale myslím si, že to půjde jenom na mateřské nebo k důchodu, tam je víc času na napsání něčeho xD

who had the biggest impact on you in life?

Marina, preacher at Salvation Army, had the biggest impact on me. I got to know God more thanks to her... I got to know the Spiritual foundations through her, and when I saw her so radiant I didn't need words to understand God's love. I coold just look at her and it was enough. she was my spiritual mum.

kdo na tebe měl v životě největší vliv?

Největší vliv na mě měla kazatelka z Armády Spásy, Marina. díky ní jsem poznávala Boha víc...skrz ní jsem poznala Duchovní základy, a kdy jsem viděla, jak zářila, nepotřebovala jsem slova na pochopení Boží lásky. stačilo jenom se dívat na ni. byla to má duchovní maminka.

what made you happy today?

I got to know that I can work in a design project at a University in Elista, which is the city I come from. I enjoy wokring on projects, I like to think about what can be improved and how.

co ti dneska udělalo radost?

dneska mě udělalo radost to, že jsem dozvěděla že můžu pracovat na projektu designu prostředí Univerzity v Elistě, města z kterého pocházím. ráda se zapojuju do projektu, ráda promýšlím, jak a co se dá vylepšit.

what are you most thankful for at the moment?

I'm thankful for the sun that's shining, for how we can laugh and feel the fresh air, feel life.. I'm thankful for how gently God treats us as His children. I'm thankful that God is the solid Rock to which we can always run for our hiding place.

za co jsi momentálně nejvíc vděčná?

moc jsem vděčná Bohu za to, jak svítí slunce, za to, že se můžeme smát a cítit čerstvost vzduchu, cítit život... moc jsem vděčná, za to jak jemně jedná s námi, jako s dětmi. jsem vděčná, že Bůh je ta opora a skála, za kterou můžeme se vždy ukrýt.  

what do you think people often forget in life and shouldn't?

I think people often forget to be humbled and give thanks. nothing should be taken for granted, but often we take special feelings and moments for granted, we get used to it and we search for something new.

na co si myslíš, že lidi v životě často zapomínají, a neměli by?

lidi v životě často zapomínají na pokoru a děkování. nic není samozřejmý, ale často vzácný pocity a stavy se stávají samozřejmými. když si na to lidi zvyknou, hledají něco novýho... 

thanks to Lizzy, for letting us see a glimpse of who she is and for sharing her beautiful heart. I'm thankful and blessed to know this wonderful woman of God and I'm so glad she wanted to do this .

stories .

I find the unique story each of us has incredibly beautiful. it's honestly one my most favorite things to hear stories of other people, get to know them on a deeper level, and listen to what made them who they are. we're often scared of letting other people see who we are, we don't want to be vulnerable, or seem self-centered and talk about ourselves. but I think there's beauty in it. I think it's important. we learn from each other, and the experience of someone sharing their story is enriching for the listener as well as the teller. I decided to start a small project where I want to capture stories - I want to photograph people, listen to their story, and write it down on this blog. I don't really know what questions to ask or what I expect to hear. and I do realize that people won't want share their deepest secrets on a blog and I don't even expect that. but it's even the little things that make us who we are. it can be anything. when I take pictures I don't want to just "take a picture", I actually want to capture the person infront of my camera with both their beauty and flaws and care about who thy are.
I don't really know if this all makes sense, I don't really know how this will work in reality, and I'm afraid that there won't be many people interested in doing this, but I want to try.
so I jumped right in with one beautiful soul that wasn't afraid to do this and thought it was a great idea and I will share first story/post soon.
and if there is anyone interested in being the next story I capture - feel free to contact me.

each story is so important, in God's writing of the Big Story.

enough .

for the past six months I did this personal project of not buying a single piece of clothing - you can read more about that here. (I recommend reading it if you want to know the whole story.)

and since I'm at the end of the project I thought I should probably write a post about it - not really knowing what the conclusion should be.

time flew by and I can buy clothes on my own again, starting the first week of March.

but no, I did not go on a shopping spree right away though I did buy one piece of clothing last week to make myself happy. did it satisfy? not really. the truth is it doesn't even make me happy anymore, because I realize more than ever that I don't need it at all. I have more than enough. I don't need to add to my wardrobe - stuff that I will most possibly stop liking so much in a couple weeks when it starts feeling old. I find myself not caring about my style as much as I used to, don't get me wrong, I still enjoy thinking my outfit through sometimes, but I don't find it as important as before. what I find important is the overwhelming excess of material things that seems normal. the overwhelming excess that I often call "not enough" asking for more. and so ending this project I just happened to stumble upon those videos based on a book "More or Less" by Jeff Shinabarger. it just so happened that the week I found out about it the book was available on iBooks for free so I got it and started reading it. well, I don't think there's turning back for me now. I got to a point of realizing my excess compared to the needs of others - and I'm on my way to understanding what I can do with the excess I have to help others and what it means in my actions and lifestyle, not just thoughts and ideas. we live in a society that teaches us to strive for more for ourselves - how awesome would it be to turn this passion of wanting more for ourselves into a passion of giving more to others? we've already been given so much, we have more than we realize that can be shared. and just like the loaves of bread and two fish were multiplied when shared, maybe that's what happens when we share what we've been given. gaining more than what we had in the first place.
you see, I know you've probably heard and read more than enough about this topic already. and this simple blog post won't change anything because there are way better articles or books you can read about this. but it will be of no use unless you try giving something up yourself. and I wish for you to try it and let it change you! I wish for me to not end with this but be it a start of transformation to a different lifestyle that's more centered around others than myself.

it started with wanting to let go of things I held onto on a personal level. now it's growing into something that will not only affect my personal life anymore, but into something that will also consider needs of others.

so here are my thoughts to the end of another project, that will hopefully grow into something bigger, something that I won't let die under the weight of "busy life".