Heather and Michael Colletto

News!

2010-03-29T21:24:00.002+02:00

Whew, finally we can tell you what has been taking us so long to post about! We're moving to Thailand with The SOLD Project, and we'd love for you to hop on over to our website, drivenbyfreedom.com to read all about it. You can find our blog on the website, or get directly to it here. Thanks for following us the last few years as we've traveled the world as God calls us. We invite you to stay tuned at our new website/blog!

Coming Soon...

2010-02-13T19:47:00.005+01:00

Sorry for delays in posting. We've got lots of exciting stuff in the works, and we can't wait to share it with you! (How long will we have to be married before I always have to add "No, I'm not pregnant!") There are great developments in the works, and we're working hard to create the best platform to start involving you in the excitement! Thanks for your patience.

Meanwhile, a BIG THANK YOU to my dad, Vaughan Wenzel, who is in Haiti right now as a phsycian with Omaha Rapid Response, an org he has been training with for several years now to be prepared for domestic and global disaster relief. You can stay posted on their team's trip at their blog. I'm so proud of him! Thanks for all the work you're doing, Papa V!

Thailand 2010 Highlight Video

2010-02-05T19:38:00.001+01:00

January 2010: Trip Highlights from The SOLD Project on Vimeo.

A few pictures....

2010-01-29T23:34:00.002+01:00

Mike with boys at VCDF

At VCDF, the orphanage for abused children

Heather with Oii, age seven

Through Others' Eyes

2010-01-26T20:01:00.003+01:00

For some beautiful pictures of our trip, check out Rachel Goble-Carey's blog here. Her husband, Kevin, arrived with her in Thailand a few weeks early, and he posted a beautiful post on Thailand and "The Problem of Pain" while processing his first impressions of the country.

Carrie Shaffer kept a great blog of the trip, and her description of Home of New Beginnings is fantastic. It will make you appreciate even more her experience of visiting prostitutes that night. Thanks for the great VCDF pictures, too, Carrie!

If you're on Facebook, there is a great video created and posted by Rachel that summarizes our trip with Mike's Flip footage. I've also posted a "Thailand 2010" photo album.

Safely Home

2010-01-25T00:42:00.003+01:00

We are home! We got in about an hour ago after David let us stop at Chipotle and stuff our faces. All of our attention right now is going into how to cut the giant claws on Mozno while he is so excited about us being home, then showering and passing out. But I wanted to let everyone know we got in okay.

I plan to post a good amount this week as we detox. I feel like my posts the past two weeks have been whatever is at the tip of my tongue and needing to get out within the few minutes allowed for computer time. I can't wait to start posting pictures, video, etc. And getting to share a few more stories.

Speaking of stories, Mike is doing fine. We've traded rice whiskey for butterfly bandages and he is feeling much better. Quite an interesting story though. :-) His Thai nickname is now Gimpy.

Heading Home

2010-01-23T07:47:00.004+01:00

We've spent the last few days in northern Thailand's Chiang Rai at Nate and Rachel's home. It was a last-minute change in plans, but we wanted to learn more about SOLD and explore the potential for our future role in their work. Nate's sister flew in from teaching in China, plus Rachel and Carrie are here, too. There has been a lot of great conversation, and we're so grateful they let us crash for a few days.

Yesterday we tagged along with Nate and Rachel to English class at the school where the scholarship kids are, and it was a blast. The sixth grade practiced introducing themselves to Mike and I. The class included Aff, the boy we stayed with in the village, Meenong, our scholarship student, and Cat, the first scholarship student featured in their film. (She's so much bigger!) It was surreal to watch these kids learning and playing and laughing together, especially Cat and Meenong who we've seen and thought about so much.

We rented motorbikes to experience what it might be like to get around here. Mike, who has never been on a motorcycle before (much less driving one), hopped on one alongside with Carrie and Rachel while I opted to ride along with Nate in the truck. Long story short, we were immediately in rush hour, the driving is on the opposite side of the road, and Mike took a pretty rough fall when a Thai stepped out onto the street in front of him. We are thankful for traveling with two nurses, because there was some blood loss from his hands and feet, but he is okay! Nothing a few shots of rice whiskey and lots of gauze couldn't handle. He is going to have a rough time traveling as he is pretty sore and stiff, but we're just thankful that is all that happened. We returned the bike the next day. :-)

We are leaving in a few minutes for our 40+ hour trip home. One bus, four flights, and a night sleeping in the Bangkok airport. I am keeping our toothbrushes at the ready. We'll arrive Sunday night around 5:45 p.m. EST.

One Step Back

2010-01-21T02:37:00.003+01:00

The day before yesterday was a free day for the group--our last official day! Most people traveled to see an elephant show and take a ride on the elephants, but Mike and I hung back to explore the city. (Melissa, aren't you proud of us?) We slept in and took a tuk-tuk to Dor Dek, the store where VCDF (see previous post) kids sell their arts and crafts. The money goes straight back to the kids, and their artwork--from necklaces to cards to large prints--was truly beautiful.

We walked to the city park, tucked away in the corner of Chiang Mai's original city walls. The park was about the size of Rittenhouse Square, and there were small ponds and elaborate white walkways over them. We rented a large bamboo mat for about 25 cents and plopped ourselves down with books, pens, and paper--our perfect afternoon. I laid on the mat looking up at the sky, my husband's silhouette set against the backdrop of the blue sky and the tree above us that dropped large yellow flower blossoms onto us whenever it wanted. A woman walked by and sold us bags of ice cold pineapple and watermelon for 30 cents a bag. The world felt perfect.

A few yards away, a Western man wearing only a pair of shorts plopped himself down in full sunlight and opened a book. He was alone, but soon joined by another. A third and fourth joined a few minutes later, now a small gang of white skin and hairy backs. A week ago, I wouldn't have thought anything of them. I already miss that naivete. One of them I'd seen the night before walking into the corridor of gay bars where he would have sat and played Connect Four or Jenga at a table with a teenage boy to create a sense of relationship before making his selection for the night.

Ugh. I rolled over on the mat and stared at another side of the park. Beside the water, an older man and a young girl stood on the bank of the pond feeding pigeons. He was with a young Thai girl, and a Thai-English dictionary rested on the mat at their feet. His mouth moved with simple words, and he gestured across the pond and at a few pigeons fighting for the crumbs.

Now, I hate birds. I really hate birds. I hate pigeons and seagulls most of all. Every time this park's scavenging flock of pigeons in the park flew from one spot of grass to another, I shuddered. The fact that someone nearby me was feeding them ("What is he thinking?!" I yelled at Mike) was bad enough. But a sex tourist!? A sex tourist feeding pigeons near my perfect afternoon in the park. Are you freaking kidding me??

I was angry at him. Angry at him for ruining my perfect afternoon in my perfect little life with my perfect husband. How dare he! How dare he fly all the way to Thailand just for some false sense of companionship and acceptance?! In fact, how dare all of these men be so terrible and create an issue so traumatic and heartbreaking that the reality of it came screaming into my life last May in a way I couldn't forget! How dare they be such hopeless people preying on such innocent women, little girls, and young boys! Come to think of it, how dare God ask us to leave our comfortable apartment and spend two weeks on pathetic excuses for beds? How dare he ask us to give up everything perfect we'd been working for to change our lives and get involved with such a hopeless issue!

Oh.

More blossoms fell as I pressed my forehead hard into the mat beneath me, praying the steady pattern of the bamboo's weave would press some reasonableness through my skull and right into my brain. Or maybe what I need more of is a little more foolishness. Either way, we have a feeling we're in for the ride of our lives.

Before They are Judged

2010-01-19T15:26:00.003+01:00

Squealing children speak a universal language. Yesterday we spent time at VCDF (Volunteers for Children's Development Foundation), which is a drop-in center for streets kids here in Chiang Mai. (We visited their Chiang Rai branch, an orphanage, the other day.) There are countless kids living on the streets in this tourist town known for temples, a night bazzaar and (often gay) prostitution. These are the kids you see selling flowers, begging for money, or selling their bodies.

We played for a few hours in a big room with a garage-sized door open to the street. Picture a day care center. Nate, blessed with endless energy that draws kids like flies, ran like a maniac around the room. They were on his back, four on top of each other, as he crawled around the tile, scattered Nerds digging into his kneecaps. Adrian was brave enough to set a velcro dartboard above his head and take the hits. Daniel and Jenny handed out SweetTarts and Nerds. A few girls in the corner were carefully applying lizard and butterfly tattoos onto their arms. One boy took a whole sheet and emerged with a nicely ordered breastplate of Spidermans and Iron mans from nipple to navel. The walls were covered in abstract finger paintings and a growth chart disguised as a giraffe.

But there were a few noticeable differences. Two teenage boys slept in the middle of the floor, catching their sleep after a night out with johns. Among the finger paintings were posters on how to put on a condom, pictures of birth control pills, and lots of information on HIV/AIDS prevention. Mari taught a teenage girl English words, a skill she is eager to learn in her trade. It seemed obscene watching the kids run around in all of this, but it was all information they needed to know.

(The rest of the team was out shopping for medical supplies for the new medical cabinet SOLD is funding for VCDF. The org has tried to bring in doctors for regular check-ups, the kids' only medical attention. But these children are mostly Burmese, and the doctors aren't interested.)

We all kept waiting for parents to come pick these kids up, barely able to register that they'd walked there on their own and would leave at the end of the day to do whatever it is they do at night. At the center, they learn English, take prevention and awareness classes, learn trades,etc. They create beautiful arts and crafts that are sold in a downtown storefront, Dor Dek.

When Nate came roaring through the room one more time, the kids scattered in delighted panic, shoving each other out of the way to avoid a hug that promised merciless tickling. One girl, six years old, booked it for my lap and buried her head tightly into my neck. I screamed along with Nate and the kids.

"Oh no!" I squealed. "He's coming! He's coming! Hiiiiiide!" She held on tighter, her small little frame folded completely inside my arms. Nate's airplane passed, now distracted by attacking velcro darts from a few boys. "It's okay, it's okay," I laughed. "You're safe now!" I mocked gasped and sighed. "You're safe." Her brown eyes, yellowed with the shade of her dress, looked up at me and giggled. She leaned back in my lap so her head was hanging off, showing the world her upside down grin.

"You're safe," I said one more time, this time knowing I was lying. When VCDF closed a few hours later, she walked out onto the streets. I can only assume she was alone.

Hike to the Falls

2010-01-16T11:43:00.004+01:00

The day before yesterday, we picked up the scholarship kids from the school and piled into the back of a few pick-up trucks. We drove up the river and began our hike to the falls. Everyone was in sneakers, but Nate and Rachel, who live here, were in flip-flops, so we were fairly confident. Plus, all the kids were in flip-flops. How hard could the hike be with these tiny little kids with us?

We start the hike, and I'm holding Oii's hand and another girl. (I noted earlier that Oii was "maybe four." She's barely larger than my three-year old neice, so I assumed. Taiwee said today that she is seven!) We start hiking, and it starts getting fairly steep and bumpy. Mind you, in the States, you'd start seeing signs about rocks being slippery when wet, please use caution, you must be wearing proper footwear like your mother taught you and you darn well know better Heather, etc. But not here!

After a while we were all out of breath and I was worried my long strides dragging the girls along. But every once in a while, they'd rush along like I wasn't going fast enough. Our palms are completely sweaty and their hands are slipping in and out of each other's grasp. When I tripped, the girls instinctively squeezed my hands! Oii, the size of a four-year old, was teetering on the cliff to our right, sliding in and out of her little flip-flops and not making a peep. (She's SO shy.) "Okay? Okay?" I kept asking. She'd give a little smile and nod. I just knew I was going to lose my grip and drop her down the side of the cliff, but she didn't seem a bit concerned.

Arriving at the falls, all the kids immediately jumped in, and we weren't far behind them. We splashed and played at the foot of these beautiful waterfall, and it was magical. The little boys showed no splashing mercy whatsover while the little girls shivered in their soaked clothes against our equally goosebumped legs! The hike back in wet flip flops was a challenge.

Yesterday we spent the day at Volunteers for CHild Development Foundation, a home for Thai children who have been abused or rescued from the streets. I helped cook lunch, de-shelled field crabs, and took part in mixing the spicy salad in a giant mortar and pestle. The kids were so kind. We went to a local lake that you couldn't pay me money to jump into, but the 40 or so kids stripped to their bear bottoms and leapt in without fear. More on that day later.

Today we are taking a bus to Chiang Mai to visit another VCDF, this one a drop-in center for street kids. We'll see the red light district at night to learn how they spend their evenings.

Tomorrow is the group's last day together. I can't believe it!

15 Minutes at Coffee Shop: Prepare for Run-on Sentences!

2010-01-16T03:42:00.004+01:00

We are chilling at Doi Chaang, an amazing coffee shop down the street from our hotel. They are very highly-ranked, and their coffee is from an Auca hill tribe that is all fair trade, self-sustaining, etc. I almost wrote "organic," but that seems like a moot point out here. As I waited for my omellete at the hotel breakfast this morning, I watched a farmer's pick-up truck bring in a crate of eggs. What a strange and distinctly American feeling to toast their naturalness and throw back my immunity pills just the same.

The Thai people are beautiful. Thailand is "The Land of Smiles," and it is true. The culture is very much about saving face, so if you trip and fall, they will laugh at you--or with you, I should say--to help you save face and be able to laugh at yourself. The children are very cooperative, as I said, and want to help each other out. This is not a country of getting ahead; in fact, it is more about disappearing into your place and accepting it. It is very, very much about taking care of your family. In Buddhism, your parents brought you into this world and you owe them your life, so it is your responsibility to take care of them--at all costs--until they die. (Cue snarky comment from Mr. and Mrs. Wenzel, right guys? Haha) As one book put it, girls are not seen as valuable enough to educate, but are also expected to be the family's sole breadwinner. You can imagine how that plays in to what I said a few days ago about a girl having no choice but to go into prostitution. An illogical reasoning at best.

In a strange way, Thailand is a very safe place. The country is completely Buddhist; put very simply (and I apologize for doing so), it is a system of karma where you must do more good than bad. Bad things will lead to punishment in future lives; many girls accept their fate at punishment for behavior in a former life because fighting karma would not be good. For example, the prostitutes in Bangkok make offerings at the temple the next day to gain favor, or "make merit," by feeding monks. Stealing is not rampant here for that reason, too. How that all plays itself out in subtleties like trafficking, drug trade etc. I am not sure, and I think it would take a lifetime to learn.

There is also a great respect in the culture here, as least comparatively. When we handed out balloons to the kids yesterday, they all gave a "wai" (y), which means they pressed their palms together in front of their nose and gave a little bow. We do that when greeting our elders too. I must admit it is fun to say "sawadeekah" and give a little bow. It was such a strange thing to experience, especially when some of the boys were balancing mischievous water balloons while they did it!

If you've seen the SOLD DVD, I want to tell you that we saw Cat yesterday, and she is so much bigger! She rules the school, and you can tell the other kids adore her. We also got to hang out with Taiwee last night, which was fantastic. Even hanging out with the Rachels is a little strange--I've seen all these people on films and heard about them for so long, and here they are!

Let me introduce you to our team a little bit... From sponsors to supporters to friends, they are all very invested in SOLD's work. We truly adore everyone on this trip. We are so amazed at all the experiences between us and what unique things we all bring to the table. Major major apologies to my new friends! How dare I summarize the countless conversations we've had and the life-changing people that you are in just a few sentences??

Meredith is 23 and headed to Kenya after this; she was an intern with SOLD. Shannon, also 23, is also a former intern and just finished a few weeks in Burma and works part-time with SOLD in California. Carrie is SOLD's intern coordinator and my first introduction at SOLD! Daniel and Jenny (who was Rachel SG's college roommate) are a young couple from Indiana; Daniel is a professional photographer and promises to send us CDs! Alex is from D.C. and came on this trip last summer, only to have her heartbroken by the "lady boys" who work in the bars. (There is little being done to help them, so she has returned for three months to try while her husband remains in D.C. As she describes playing soccer with these little boys all afternoon, laughing and playing, then seeing them snuggle up to these gross men in the bars each night, you can hear her heart for them.) Brandon is finishing up international studies and was on this trip last year; he so clearly loves Thailand, and he has been a wealth of information. Adrian is from Tasmania and runs an organization that goes into churches and speaks to young men about pornography, sex addiction, etc. I can't wait to see how he uses this trip for his work. Mari is this wonderfully energetic woman from California that is ready to get her church's justice committee into gear when she gets home! She is a lot of fun. D'uan is Rachel GC's mom, and she is loving to exprience firsthand her daughter's work; she's an olive farmer! Plus, there is Rachel SG and Nate, living here in Thailand and Rachel GC and Kevin; Kevin was here for the first few days of the trip. These four are--- well, you can imagine they are pretty fantastic.

A few other things:

1. I forget to mention that the lizard I wrote of yesterday can be over two feet long and, when it bites, will not let go. You have to drown it to get it to relinquish its grasp.

2. I've offered for Mike to write, but we usually have about ten minutes of availability or battery, and he doesn't think he could say much in that time. Then there's me, who will vomit all thoughts at will. Sigh.

3. We knew Mike's wheat allergies wouldn't be a problem here in the land of rice, but they put egg on everything, come to find out. Fried eggs on rice for breakfast, pad thai served in egg bowl, etc. Who knew?

4. The school (200-ish kids) were going to do a show for us yesterday morning. "An Arabic dance," Nate said. As they begin, we were like "Nate, did you mean aerobic?" Between the Tae Bo-like moves and the pseudo-jumping jacks, we was easily convinced he'd misunderstood. It was hilarious.

5. Our Thai massages were $7, plus tip, and it was two hours of the best kind of pain. Like, they spent thirty minutes on each leg! I've never been phsyically stretched like that in my life. She kept saying "You okay?" because I was grimacing. How do you explain in Thai that is hurts but feels so good? She kept laughing at me because my feet were hanging off the mat.

Collettos VS the Lizard

2010-01-15T10:09:00.003+01:00

"What's happening? Are you going crazy?" Mike whispered in the dark as I laughed hysterically.

The answer, at 4 a.m., was yes.

After an evening in the village with our family, watching Thai television, pronouncing impossible words, and pointing a lot at a Thai/English dictionary, we had finally settled into our room outside the house. We were on a bed (yay!) and under a mosquito net (even bigger yay!) and we had rejoiced when we finally were sent to bed at 7 p.m. We got inside our room and I announced "We did it!"

Just then, we heard the ominous sound above us. It was Thailand's famously large (and aggressive, rumor has it) lizard, and the tin roof mere feet above our heads was not a satisfactory defense. You've never seem someone dive under a mosquito net so fast. I immediately declared it was the size of a golden retriever--"it has to be!"--which led Mike to talking about komodo dragons which led us to a discussion about how lizards would kill people. Suddenly, I whispered harshly, "Why are we talking about this?!?" I had crazy dreams, most including the scratchdragscratch of the lizard crawling around above our heads. I could hear it get closer and closer to the corner where our heads were. We were cold and pressed so tightly up against each other, which was not fun on the flat, hard bed. I never slept for more than twenty minutes at a time. Mike probably didn't either, come to think of it, because he kept getting a jab in the ribs and a "Did you hear it that time? I think it's getting closer."

But we woke up to fresh mountain air and LOTS of roosters. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and more time with Eff, the older boy, and the unbelievably adorable Oii (oY), a young girl of maybe four.

Today we were at English camp with the kids. Delightful chaos. Their culture here is so different, and the kids are extremely community-oriented and kind to one another. Calling them to the front to answer a question on their own is nearly impossible. Our game had them running around and screaming in their attempts to pop balloons attached to friends' ankles. Even the five year old girls were chasing the tenth grade boys. Mike's game involved a maze of chairs; every time a new group rotation began, Mike said they'd show up at his station and get confused by the chairs, so they tried to "help" out by rearranging them in neat rows. ("Every time!" Mike laughed, shaking his head.)

Tomorrow a trek to the waterfalls with the scholarship kids is on the agenda. Rachel and Nate are treating us to dinner in their beautiful home.

If you are interested at all in sponsoring a child for $30/month, please let me know. There are currently about 80 kids who are awaiting sponsorship. I wish I could talk longer about what we saw in Bangkok and the desperation I feel to keep these kids out of it. For example, Eff and Oii are in the program because their mother is a former prostitute. Meenong, the girl we sponsor, has no documentation and her older sister is a prostitute. Watching her run around today and laugh with her friends made my heart ache, but I was so grateful to be a part of her future. As Oii cuddled into my chest on the sunny grass hill, I hugged her tightly, feeling overwhelmed with the feeling that I would stop at nothing to keep her from what I saw in Bangkok. The odds are not in her favor.

Well, not to brag, but we have to run. We are headed to two-hour Thai massages--for $10! After last night and the running around in the summer sun today, I feel I deserve my first professional massage.

We haven't had time to post pictures with internet as slow as it is, but we will!

P.S. - David, our translator today was Thailand's version of Jay! Like, his doppelganger! Oh, and Angie, you haven't seem the worst of Heather's "flip-flop feet!"

Phase II: HOPE!

2010-01-13T15:46:00.004+01:00

We got an ear- and eye-full of "the problem." Now it's time for the hope! We are grateful that, when working with these kids, we now know just what these scholarships help protect them from. We have a much higher understanding and respect for this work now, and we are so grateful. The entire team is very relieved to begin phase two of the trip: HOPE!

Today we flew to Chiang Rai, a northern town in Thailand where the village of SOLD scholarship students is located. We checked into a hotel and then went to the home of Rachel Sparks-Graeser (founder) and her husband, Nate. We also got to meet their adorable French bulldog puppy, Ooshki, who they soon found out was deaf; they impressed up with all the tricks they taught him with only sign language! We spent tonight at the local night bazaar. I definitely ate the very meal worms I once so lovingly raised in a Country Crock tub of oatmeal in 2nd grade. The promise of "they're just like popcorn" wasn't really accurate, but it wasn't bad!

We spent the afternoon there planning games for English camp on Friday. I'll be a part of a team where kids run around and pop balloons on each others' feet and have to perform the verbs found inside. Mike's team is creating an elaborate maze where kids have to follow directions to get through successfully to the end for a puzzle. Picture 180 kids at different stations where they are learning colors on the Twister board, jumping three times while their friends stomp balloons at their feet, and kids screaming at each other to win the game. Can't wait!

Tomorrow night we'll visit the ground SOLD purchased for their upcoming Resource Center for the local students and community, then driving through the village. (If you have seen the SOLD DVD, this is the village featured, where Cat lives.) We're staying in homes of the villagers that night, so we're all preparing ourselves for mats, crazy food, and lots of awkward silence! So we won't get a chance to blog, but we'll be back after that.
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A side note....

Some of you may have followed a link to this blog because of an urgent request for prayer via e-mail by someone else. I apologize if you were unnecessarily worried or upset by this e-mail. We very much appreciate any prayers and would never want to suggest otherwise. However, let me be very clear that we have never been in any danger or felt even remotely unsafe; if we communicated any fear to you the last two posts, we are terrible writers! As you read our last two entries, hopefully it will be clear that we only meant to express the sobriety of this reality and our excitement to learn how to be a part of the solution.

We want to be very clear about one thing: We do not believe in sheltering ourselves from the reality of evil in the world; doing so will accomplish little more than make ourselves feel better. Are we all called to see prostitution in Thailand or force ourselves to witness the world's various evils? Of course not; but we can't ignore these evils to protect ourselves either. Jesus never intentionally sheltered himself from the presence of evil in the world; if so, he never would have been born! We do not pray for physical safety for ourselves, but that God would have His will done in our lives, no matter what that looks like.

P.S. - I take that back. I was very, very scared when I counted eight lizards surrounding our hotel room door.

Learning to Dream Again

2010-01-12T17:45:00.002+01:00

What would Jesus do? I feel that Jesus would go kick that man wear it counts.

At least that is what I watched a very large man shamelessly walk down the street hand-in-hand with a boy that was maybe seven.

It was the final wrench in my heart of a very difficult day. Today we learned everything we didn't want to know about prostitution in Thailand. We spent the day at the Home of New Beginnings, a holistic recovery center for Bangkok prostitutes. We heard from Bonita A., a former California teacher my mothers' age who moved here with her husband a few years ago and started this amazing outreach to prostitutes. The staff/volunteers go into the go-go bars to talk with these women and invite them to English lessons at the home. (Speaking English gives them more value so they can communicate with clients.)

We were essentially in school today for eight hours. Bonita explained everything beautifully, and her humility, wisdom, and insight were inspiring. She has seen unimaginable things, and she isn't afraid to cry about it. She will also fight for these girls that she loves like her own to the death, so don't mess. Today in class, we did math problems to learn how much the girls make and how much the bars make. We studied geography to see where these girls are coming from. We dabbled in their psychology. We learn vocabulary I pray I forget. We heard story after story after story.

(Side note: I was the one that couldn't stop raising my hand. I finally looked at Mike and said, "Is this what it feels like to be you? I am just so excited to learn!")

I cannot believe what I didn't know about prostitution, especially here. Trafficking is just the production side, the tip of the iceberg, of an issue that is so large it is hard to fathom. Are these girls enslaved? No, most of them aren't. They could leave. But, for many, they--and, perhaps most importantly, their families--would literally die without it. (I know that might be hard to believe, and I won't attempt to summarize the seven hours of convincing we got today on the matter.) So it shifts your definition of "slavery." Poverty is the trafficker, as Rachel said yesterday. In this culture of Buddhism and providing for your parents at all costs, there is simply no choice in the matter. You deny yourself for what has to be done to take care of others.

One girl looked in the mirror every morning and thought of her family. "You have to do this," she said to her reflection. "Use your head, not your heart." How else could she--they--survive?

Here is the question I am going to sleep on, probably for many nights:

I would die for Mike, my family, my friends. But would I allow myself to be raped 28 days out of the month by old ugly men to send money to my family for their food, health care, and home?

I don't know. And I am glad I never will.

P.S. - It was a joy to wake up to your Facebook/blog comments this morning. So encouraging, so thank you!

Cabbages and Condoms

2010-01-11T17:51:00.004+01:00

"I can't believe it was only our first day," I said tonight as we were getting ready for bed.

We had breakfast with our group, then had a great meeting to learn about The SOLD Project's vision for 2010. It was great to finally hear from the Rachel Goble-Carey and Rachel Sparks-Graeser (founders) in person about SOLD and hear their passion for their work. I feel like I've known them forever. We learned some do's and don'ts about Thai culture. Mainly, it is the land of smiles and a soft-spoken request with a big smile will get you far. Oh, and don't pick your teeth in public.

The great thing about this trip is that all the members have been invested in SOLD in some real, tangible way--from child sponsors to interns to spouses etc. Everyone here knows the story on trafficking, and we're all committed to doing something about it. It's such a relief to be around people who share this passion and are ready to do whatever it takes. Yay for other crazy people! Hearing their stories about how they got involved and what they want their next steps to be is so encouraging to hear. The list of fantastic orgs and goals represented is amazing, and it just goes to show how there are so many different areas in this issue that someone can be skilled in.

We saw a lot of hard things today, and I know it is just the beginning. Nate, Rache SG's husband, took Mike and I into the heart of it all on the way home from dinner. A walk-through of a certain three-story "mall" (for lack of a better word) of about two minutes revealed more than I ever wanted to know. It's--everywhere. I don't know. Is there another way to say it? How could I have wanted to punch the man at breakfast with the girl today across the room, but by the time we had a nightcap on the patio, the same sight barely caused a double-take?

I've often wondered what prostitution really looks like. I imagine shady hotels and back alley dealings. I couldn't sleep last night after checking in with that man and girl. It was happening under the same roof I was sleeping under, in a room that looked just like ours, and, to be honest, had probably happened countless times in the bed we're sleeping in. To see couples go upstairs, to hear it in the hollow hallways... it's too close for comfort and we're not even close yet.

Sorry if that was a lot to take in. I want to be honest with you and invite you on this journey with us. I'm also going to apologize for the fact that this was all written in about ten minutes at 12:30 a.m. when I've gotten 4 hours of sleep in a bed in the last three days.

Okay, on a lighter note, quick summary of cool Bangkok experiences today:

1. 20-minute motorized tuk-tuk ride at high speeds that left me breathless, but laughing

2. Buying a $1 coconut milkshake and watching the woman crack a coconut, scape out the insides into a blender, pour some evaporated milk and ice on top and hit "blend"

3. Eating real real real real pad thai and it literally burning my mouth: so good!

4. Getting a tattoo with a bamboo stick full of ink

5. Just kidding, but somebody in our group did that last week

6. Collapsing onto this bed and starting to type like crazy while Mike laid down with a book and got to page 2 before dropping it, asleep

This morning, I got to the crucifixion in John today while I was reading my Bible. All day as I walked through the streets and saw man after man touching these young girls, I kept thinking about how Jesus died for them. Like, if you and me and everyone we know had never been born, Jesus would have still died--for these men. Sucks, right? I don't want to be put in the same category as those men, but God doesn't love them anymore than he loves me. I want so badly to think I'm better than them, but their sins of selfishness and greed are in their hearts just like they are in mine; they are just manifesting them in different ways. How can I be so angry at God for that injustice--look how much better I am, God!--and yet so thankful that everything can be forgiven, that every evil in this world makes sense, that there is hope for the hopeless?

Love,

H&M

Greetings from Thailand

2010-01-11T04:58:00.003+01:00

Greetings from Bangkok! We just had a breakfast of papaya, pineapple, and watermelon (and rice, of course). We arrived safe and sound after 24 hours in the air. We never had layovers over a few minutes, so the flights all run together. Four airplane meals in a row was a lot, but we're thankful for smooth connections. We're not feeling jet-lagged at all, which is probably a terrible sign. We just had breakfast, but our bodies think its bedtime. That should hit us in a few hours! Mike is using words like 'non-sequitor' in complete sentences, which might certainly be a sign of jetlag for some people, but not Mike. Although earlier today, he was looking out the window and said very sincerely, "I'm curious about the unassuming man in glasses pictured on all the Thai currency."

We're going down to our first group meeting in a few minutes, so pardon the not-so-eloquent first impressions.

At the airport, before we even got outside, there was an older man and a small Thai girl, and they were discussing an arrangement, "a booking." He held her and leaned over far to kiss the top of her head. It seemed so outrageously inappropriate that I wanted to scream. But I didn't. I just stood there. I just stood there like everyone else.

It was a 30-minute taxi ride to the hotel, and watching the Bangkok streets at 2 a.m. in standstill traffic was certainly a culture shock. There were prostitutes everywhere. Everywhere. When we checked into the hotel (the Ibis Hotel, to give you an idea that it isn't some janky place), we were checking in next to an older gentleman with graying temples, a beer belly, and a faded polo. With him with a girl in a short denim skirt who looked like a child. I am ashamed to say that my mouth dropped in a bit. This morning at breakfast, there were several men sharing quiet tables with Thai girls that didn't look older than myself.

But what a joy it already is to be here, because for the first time in a long time, I feel like we're doing something about it. I can't wait to get to know the other team members and hear their stories, their ideas, their passions.

Love,

H&M

P.S. - Mom, Dad, this "we arrived safely" blog is for you, let's be honest.

Thailand, here we come!

2010-01-09T04:39:00.004+01:00

Mozno has laid himself quite comfortably in the bathroom sink while I pull together our toiletries. We're shoving socks into corners and trying on summer clothes to see if they still fit. When we pulled out my Old Navy flip flops, Mike convinced me that the paper-thin holes in the heels were not going to be good for dirt roads. By pointing at them, he punched a hole in one.

We are excited and nervous and nervously excited. You know that awful and great feeling right before you go onstage and you are pretty sure you know all your lines but gosh wouldn't it be great if time could just stop for a second so you could run through them all one more time just to be sure. We're feeling something like that. :-)

We'll arrive in Bangkok around Sunday lunchtime here (midnight there--12 hour difference from EST), so hopefully we'll be in Thailand next time you hear from us. Thank you for your encouragement and support. Stay tuned!

Wherever the journey takes us,

Heather andMike

SOLD Tour Schedule: UPDATED

2010-01-06T17:08:00.003+01:00

Here is a look at what our schedule will be like while we're in Thailand with links to more information, videos, etc. If you're interested, take a look around SOLD's great website, thesoldproject.org. Stay up-to-date on SOLD on their blog.

January 11
Orientation to the SOLD Project, Thailand. Meet the local staff, discuss trip expectations, etc. Free afternoon and evening to adjust to local time and explore Bangkok and become acquainted with Thai culture.

January 12
Visit Home of New Beginnings. Orientation to Red Light District by director. Visit Bangkok bar scene in the evening to get idea of current situation for kids.

January 13
Travel to Chiang Rai. Prepare games for English camp. To learn more about the scholarship/school program and watch videos from the org's founders and local staff, please click here.

January 14
Visit new land for future Resource Center. Visit the SOLD scholarship students, including the girl we sponsor! Teach English, play after school, etc. Stay in village that night with host family. Learn how and who SOLD sponsorship helps on the ground.

January 15
English Camp at school all day. Paint mural at school with kids.

January 16
Field trip with scholarship students to ostrich farm!!! Meet with team to discuss SOLD: the program, the trip so far, future plans, etc.

January 17
Travel to Chiang Sean to visit orphanage; learn about their program and play with the kids!

January 18
Travel to Chiang Mai. Visit drop-in center and meet with staff. Help set-up and learn about their new medical program that SOLD is helping out with. Go out to streets at night to meet the kids.

January 19
Free day; wrap up night as a group for final farewell dinner!

January 20
Mike and I are staying a few extra days, as suggested, because Chiang Mai is such a beautiful place. We'll then spend a day getting back to Bangkok, then about two more days getting home! We'll arrive home Sunday, January 24, 5 pm local time.

By the way, if you want to learn more about my internship last summer with SOLD (I made the website! haha) and consider it for yourself--you can do it from anywhere--visit their internship page.

Faithful friends!

2010-01-04T22:06:00.003+01:00

Today, our tiny Bratislava house church, CityLight, gave us $500 and helped us reach our mini-goal of $800 in tax-deductible donations via SOLD's website. What an answer to prayer! Many friends and family members have also given us gifts directly, and we've been overwhelmed by people's generosity. We even got a gift from the lovely couple we got Mozno from! So far, we've been given $1,775. That covers one of our plane tickets! Thank you so much!

God, the Foolish Giver

2009-12-17T23:56:00.007+01:00

Grand total from the missions church of 3,000+ members that I attended for over a decade: $4

We've told you about it before, but the only money we got from the church (aside from wonderful, dear family friends!!) was from the sweaty palm of a young girl who told her parents she wanted to hand over her chore money to us. I bought a small felt bird in Slovakia that we have hanging in our house, and it is to remind me of the faith of that little girl.

On top of that, our votes for Obama caused people to withdraw support, the economy crashed, TWR mistakenly told us we have about three times more funds raised than we did, and we only raised half of what we wanted to. (That disappointing departure date turned out to be the month we found out about David's cancer, by the way. Sometimes God gives us answers sooner than we expect.)

Ugh. So, no, thankyouverymuch, I did NOT want to fundraise for our trip to Thailand.

We decided, after much debate, to sell Mike's 2000 Toyota Corolla instead. It was worth exactly the amount we'd need for our trip. I was explaining this to a friend over lunch in Philadelphia who had had a rough year. Hugging her good-bye and driving home, my gut wrenched. Uh oh. The conversation later went something like this:

God: Give them your car.

Us: Um, I'm sorry, I believe we agreed that we would sell the car and use the money to go save children at-risk of prostitution in Thailand. You're welcome.

God: Give them your car.

Us: Fine, we'll sell the car to them at a cheap price. Everyone wins.

God: Give them your car.

Us: Oh, also: It's an ugly car with no hubcaps. They won't even want it.

God: Give them your car.

Us: (expletive)

We asked them if they wanted our car, and they refused, as we knew they would. But we insisted it was what God freaking wanted us to do, so they said they'd only accept it if they could give their current car to someone else in need. Wouldn't you know it--someone had just approached our church the night before that they were in need of a car. Case closed.

Oh!--the abundance of joy and grace we experienced in that situation can simply not be described. I have chills right now, feeling so unbelievably blessed to have been able to be a part of helping this family that we hold so close to our hearts, even in this janky, non-hubcap way.

One of the most famous verses in the Bible is "God GAVE His only son" to save the world. So, to put it simply, God's plan for giving is hardly tithing ten percent. Francis Chan, author of "CrazyLove," was criticized by his church for giving all his (significant) book profits away. They told him he should be saving it for an emergency--he has three daughters to look after, after all. He was sharing this in context of his growing work with sex trafficking, and he said "An emergency?! You want to tell me about an emergency? There are children--girls like my three daughters--who are being raped day and night. Is that not an emergency? Oh, wait, it's not MY emergency, right?" Yikes. American Christianity is so often a far cry from that conviction, I fear.

We were chewing on a lot of thoughts about money in Europe after meeting Phyllis and Myles Wilson, our new dear friends. They spoke at a conference in Austria our PR department hosted, and we spent some time with them afterwards. I can't explain how we connected, but they shifted our focus and encouraged us beyond words. They are from Ireland, so I don't think the fact that our plans overlapped in Philadelphia for one day was an accident. We met them at Monk's (they're Irish, for crying out loud), and I calmly explained to them that we would never forgive them for the ways they ruined us. "We gave our stinking car away! Right when we need the money" I protested. Their reply: "Exactly."

I also told them all the reasons sending out more letters about Thailand was a bad idea. We already asked people for money and what if we need it again in the future for something "more important." They suggested people would want to know, at least, and hinted I should think on it. Mike, who was convinced asking people for support was the right thing to do (and knew the Wilsons would agree), waited patiently for me to come around.

We got back to Grand Rapids, an internship and full-time volunteering between us. We prayed like crazy for God to provide.

Then Mike was offered a full-time position. I stopped praying, relieved.

Then Mike's company decided to switch to a freelance model, which means he's technically laid off, but they might have work for him in the future. I started praying again, sweaty. (Yeah, I noticed that pattern too.)

Finally, I agreed to a compromise: When we sent out our Christmas letters, we'd somewhat include a suggestion of financial support---but only because we were sending out all those envelopes with stamps anyway. I shared this whole long story to you to show you the crazy journey God has taken us on this year with giving, and to show you this year's ending that I personally find outstanding. So:

We have received money from the following people: my brother, an atheist Jew, two lesbians, and the agnostic couple upstairs who slipped $200 worth of bartending tips under our door.

I. LOVE. IT. Isn't that great? Do you know what a better story that is than us just selling our car?! Do you know how much better off we are being blessed by our friends and, in turn, allowing them to feel blessed by giving?We've gotten several hundred dollars already from the places you'd least expect. And when I say "least expect," I'm rolling my eyes at how boring we can be! Do you know how hilarious and beautiful and wonderful these gifts are to us? These are all people who we absolutely adore and every single one of their gifts was accompanied by unbelievably humbling notes that brought us tears. You guys know who you are, and I'm sending a public thank you to David, Sarah, Allison, Heather, Kevin, and Lindsay.

You might argue with this, and that's fine, but that to me is such a picture of God's creativity, his desire to show us things in unexpected and uncomfortable places, his willingness to be radical and crazy, just like he was when he gave his son over to death for a whole world full of people who still aren't that interested.

So, yeah, we got a pretty great lesson on radical gift-giving this Christmas. And even though the historical likelihood of Jesus being born on December 25 is slim, I'll take it just the same and thank God for being the most ridiculous, outrageous, and foolish gift-giver ever.

Note: I am going to post this on our joint blog because we're going to revive that temporarily for postings before/during/after Thailand.

Pushing Daisies

2009-09-02T18:33:00.004+02:00

I had my birthday a few weeks ago, and I told Mike that I didn't really want anything. Like a good husband, he insisted for ideas, and I finally told him I just wanted something that represented this amazing past year. Something beautiful and romantic and meaningful that would represent and remind me of the past year I never could have expected when I turned 22 last year.

He bought me a DVD.

"We were going to buy it anyway," he shrugged. Oh, thanks, honey.

The DVD he bought me was the second and final (!) season of ABC's Pushing Daisies. The premise of the show is this: Ned, the pie maker, has a unique ability to bring back the dead with a simple touch. If he touches it again, it dies permanently. If he doesn't touch it again within one minute, something else nearby must die in its place.

Note: Sounds a bit morbid, right? Believe it or not, it's actually one of the brightest, most colorful (literally), happiest shows to be on television! The show is told in a storybook fashion with outlandish sets, costumes, and characters. I highly recommend it!

Bear with me here. I feel like I've been touched by Ned.

Our travels, our experiences, David, trusting God with finances, etc... I feel like this past year was a chance to come back to life, to see things new, to get a second chance. I wasn't touched again in a minute, and some many of my materialistic habits and commercial mindsets are slowly by surely dying. I feel like I am seeing everything differently, and that comes with this childish excitement that makes me want to do! I want to be like like Chuck, the girl from Pushing Daisies who has a second chance at life and is so excited about everything, so driven to make things count this time around.

So, Mike, your birthday gift was spot-on after all. And I look forward to sitting on our old more-purple-than-navy couch in our new living room and drinking fruit smoothies while we finish the season. Here's to many more.

Thank you for following us on this part of journey. We're going to leave this blog up, but we won't be posting on it for now. My hope is that God sends us somewhere again that has us needing it once more. For now, stay posted on our personal blogs. They've been neglected since we started this one, but we're going back! :-)

Our last post was titled "Home." And that is where we are. We are settled into Grand Rapids, MI for as long as our lease has us here. We are peaceful and scared and excited and nervous and just about everything else we've felt in the past year. It's exactly where we want to be.

Smitten with the Mitten

2009-07-25T22:53:00.004+02:00

As you have probably heard by now, Mike and I are officially moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan!

The original plan was to be here for the summer, then head back to Philadelphia to get an MSW degree so that I'd be qualified to jump into some anti-trafficking work. Well, after arriving here, we've been overwhelmed by opportunities to get involved right now. It's a very long story, but, essentially, after processing all of the things we felt God teaching us the last six months, it became clear that Grand Rapids is the next step in our lives. If you want the long story, give us a call.

I'm still enjoying my internship with The SOLD Project, and we're saving money to visit Thailand for two weeks in January with the organization. Also, I interviewed with Women at Risk International and will volunteer with them each week. Also, we just met with a small group helping brainstorm for fundraising with The Hope Project, a forthcoming safe-house here in Michigan for children rescued from sexual exploitation. Yep, it's here in West Michigan, too. We are hoping this is a start of an opportunity for Heather to be involved full-time in this area of ministry. At the very least, within two weeks of living here, we've already met four other 20-something girls in Grand Rapids who have a heart for human trafficking!

Mike is really enjoying his work with Dot&Cross. He mostly works with Josh Shipp, who gives quality advice that is "in your face, but on your side" to teens. Check out the blog Mike is managing at HeyJosh.com. I'm also assisting Amy with her photography business and loving all the time she is getting to hang out with her awesome sister!

We are moving at the end of August into a house in Heritage Hill, the circa 1900's neighborhood in downtown Grand Rapids. Our new home is part of a large house transformed into apartments in the 1940's. It has beautiful hardwood floors and original crown-molding. The best part is that Mike can walk to work!

Interesting side note: Rumor has is Gerald Ford (who just so happened to be born in Omaha) lived in our house from 1948-1950. My Wikipedia research reveals that this would make it his first home with Betty after their marriage. I'm guessing their firstborn caused them to move out in 1950. (David informs us that many Grand Rapids locations claim such status, so we're looking into it.)

We've already been loving our time with David and Amy, not to mention their two cats, Pegasus and Other Kitty. We are so thankful for the opportunity to be with them and get to know our brother and sister even better. They have been more than generous in helping us get settled (and introducing us to the best local Thai and Indian food!), and we don't even know where to begin repaying them. For updates on David and Amy, visit their respective blogs at jumpdavidjump.com and blog.amywenzel.com

We'll be visiting the Philadelphia area (and getting our stuff from storage) during the third week of August. We'd love to see you! Please shoot us an e-mail at colletto.heather@gmail.com if you'd like to get together with us.

P.S. - Philly friends, if you know of anyone or organization who needs some furniture or books for whatever reason, please let us know.

Away to Grand Rapids

2009-07-10T18:59:00.003+02:00

Hello,

After two fantastic weeks in Chaska, MN with our dear friends, Brittany and Andrew, Mike and I road-tripped on over to Grand Rapids, MI, David and Amy's hometown a few days ago.

Any suspicions that I have the best big brother in the world have been confirmed. David has worked with his business partners to provide us a great(!!) deal on a nearby apartment. Mike has started to work on some projects with David's company, Dot&Cross. I am helping out Amy with some administrative work for her photography business, Amy Wenzel Photography. We are very overwhelmed by their generosity. David has always been one of my biggest cheerleaders in life, and though this summer is under the guise of us helping them out, that's really a big lie and David and Amy are going above and beyond the call of sibling duty to look out for us!

I'm moving into Phase II of my internship with The SOLD Project. They are a fantastic CA-based organization that focuses of awareness and prevention of child prostitution in Thailand. The girls that founded and run the organization are incredible, and it has been a privilege to work with them. The next step is organizing a film screening of the SOLD film. Thankfully, I know a guy in this town who has some connections...

Mike and I are in a state of learning and wondering. How is God going to use us? Where does he want us? How do we find out? Please pray with us while we wait patiently for his guidance, because we're ready to do some big stuff for him. We just want to know where and how and when and with who. :-) If anyone gets a text message from God with this information, please let us know. We'll keep you posted!

"But we've got our love to pay the bills..."

2009-07-01T19:53:00.002+02:00

We're "home," loosely speaking. We've already been back in the States for more than two weeks; still, it's a bit strange to be back on this side of the Atlantic in the land of cars and obesity and giant grocery stores.

Heather and I packed up our lives in Bratislava a few weeks early when we heard about David's brain tumor and caught an earlier flight back. We arrived in Omaha, met Heather's sister Angie and her two beautiful girls at the airport the next day, and road-tripped out to Rochester, MN together to spend the week with David and Amy and (most of) the rest of the family. When David and Amy returned to their home to regroup before further treatment, the rest of us parted ways.

So, for the past week, we've been living with our friends Brittany and Andrew up in Chaska, MN. It's been a wonderfully relaxing (and even somewhat productive) time--talking, reading, watching movies, cooking, wrapping up work for TWR, riding bikes for the first time in forever, and learning to play Speed Scrabble.

What's next? We're not sure. And, let me tell you, that's a very unsettling thing to hear yourself say.

There are two questions Heather and I have been getting more than any other: 1) "So, where are you from?" and 2) "What are your plans?" The first question turns out to be much harder to answer than it should be: "Uh, Philadelphia. But we've been living in Slovakia for the last six months. Actually, Heather's from Omaha and I grew up outside Philadelphia. But we met in Ohio and both ended up back in the Philadelphia area which is where we started dating and everything. So we spent the first year of our marriage in West Chester, just outside Philly. But we don't live anywhere now." Concern and surprise usually lead to the second question, to which we respond with a reassuring "We don't know. We don't really have anything lined up." Jobs? Not really. Place to live? No. Are you busy this Thursday? No idea.

So, "home" is where we are. We're vagrants. Nomads. At present, the only place we have to call our own is a Honda Civic and a storage unit on the East Coast. Which pretty much makes us homeless...save for the hospitality of others. As Ingrid Michaelson sings, "we might not have any money, but we've got our love to pay the bills."

Believe it or not, we're fairly content. Don't get me wrong, we hope to find an apartment somewhere and unpack our bags at some point. And we hope to receive some clue or direction about what cause or causes we should dedicate the next phase of our life to. But we're confident that God will provide for us. In the meantime, there's no need to worry. There really isn't.

We have all we need.

P.S. God is continuing to answer the prayers of many regarding David. Why are we surprised when God works miracles? Read the updates at jumpdavidjump.com

Note: Thanks to Mike for letting us steal this post from his personal blog. -Heather

"Home"

2009-06-15T21:09:00.003+02:00

Dear friends,

We cannot quite believe it, but we are writing this from Omaha, Nebraska. Through a lot of prayer, hard decisions, and tearful good-byes, we decided to leave Slovakia two weeks early to return home to the States to be with my family during this difficult time.

As you know, David, my older brother, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He will be in a lot of important tests this week at the Mayo Clinic and, hopefully, will be having brain surgery this week; his tests Tuesday will tell us more.

Though it wasn't easy, we feel at peace about this decision, which was made over a lot of prayer. Of course, my immediate desire was to return home, but it just didn't seem logistically possible. We couldn't see how we could work out all of the details on time. Still, I couldn't get it off of our mind. I spoke with our old boss, Barbara, who recently moved to TWR in the States. She traveled extensively with David and Amy in 2006 for the Epic Stories and is lifelong friends with our own, the Amstutz family. We felt she would be a good person to speak with, knowing both the TWR side and the family side. Her words of encouragement were so helpful. We called the travel agent to see if a flight-date change was even possible. With only two seats left on any possible flight from O'Hare to Omaha, she could book them if we told her right away. Yikes!

That night, Mike and I talked things over and went straight to prayer asking God what on earth was the right thing to do. God knows our past and present and future like it is all on the same page; we serve a loving God that cares about these details of our lives because He is absolutely crazy about us. After praying, Mike said, "I think we should pack." Heck no, I wasn't packing only to unpack after we decided to stay--that would be so hard! But I felt like God was asking me to take a step of faith. We packed; we were even already half-packed because we did some while my parents were here. We packed, looked at our bags, and said "Now what?" We prayed again and asked friends to pray with us. Because of the travel agent's timing, we needed to make a decision in thirty minutes! We prayed, both feeling uncertain, and knew God would answer. Sure enough, with about 2 minutes to spare, our friends in Bratislava messaged us and (not knowing our personal concerns at all) and encouraged us to not worry so much about our responsibilities here. Coming from a couple who just made a tough decision to stay one more year in Slovakia even though a lot of tough things are happening with their family back home, this meant a lot to us. Mike and I looked at each other and pretty much at the same time said, "We need to go home." We immediately felt peace!

Things came together beautifully, proving God's provision. I had randomly cleaned up my messy office last week on a whim. We had some guys from AIM's World Race missions team staying with us who assisted us in cleaning our apartment, finalizing things there and (I'm sure this part is a lot of sacrifice) eating all the food in our cabinet and fridge. Our dear church, CityLight (Calvary Chapel Bratislava), held a small good-bye gathering the very next day. Heather, my best friend in Slovakia, was able to spend the whole day with us. That last night, we sat in the beautiful Bratislava Main Square eating at our favorite place and soaking it all in as the sun set behind the clouds. Amen.

We apologize for not letting you know sooner. We made our decision late Thursday night, worked like crazy for our suddenly "last day," then made the rounds on Saturday for a wonderful last day in Bratislava with dear friends. We were in Omaha by Sunday night local time. Early Tuesday morning, we are driving up to Mayo Clinic with my sister, Angie, and her two daughters. Tonight, we are having dinner with our dear, dear Omaha family who have always been there for us.

We'll post more later, but we have to run to the airport to pick up Angie. We just wanted to let our friends and supporters know about our decision. Remember those earlier blogs whining about why God won't let us stay past June? Ha. He truly does know the past, present, and future. I am so glad we are in His hands.

Stay posted on David at his blog jumpdavidjump.com and enjoy Amy's own blog, blog.amywenzel.com. We'll post again here.

By the way, NO idea how this changes our summer plans. No job plans in the fal for Mike, we don't know where we're living, etc. But we don't care. We're praying God brings things when they need to come and we're open to them. This life of trust is wonderful and scary and fantastic.

Prayer for David

2009-06-10T14:38:00.003+02:00

Dear friends,

Please pray for our big brother, David. He was diagnosed this week with a brain tumor, and he and his wife are on their way to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for a biopsy and treatment with (praise God!) the head of Mayo's neurosurgery department. He has his first appointment Thursday morning.

David was in California on business when he hit his head and started to feel strange. The next morning, he had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. Subsequent tests revealed a brain tumor in the front of David's brain that has been growing slowly for the past couple of years. His "accident" saved his life! Amy, his wife, was able to be at his side in California several says later. Check out David's blog for the full story and updates. Amy's blog will post updates as well.

We are praising God for so many ways that he has already shown his sovereignty and goodness. Just last month, David and Amy felt led to move into a smaller home. Our dear, lifelong family friends from Omaha just "happened" to be in the next town over from David's hospitalization; their family has been through a very similar circumstance in the past. My parents, visiting us in Europe, were able to fly back early at hardly any cost to them. The best clinic possible for David is just a day's drive from their home. Facebook got hundreds of people praying immediately. Skype enabled our family to be in contact and stay updated, even across the world. From a TWR perspective, what a reminder that God uses technology for his purposes!

God is using David and Amy for his good and perfect work, and though it is a challenge, they are not shying away from sharing their love for God in and through all things.

Thank you,

Heather and Mike

Growing up in Communism: Our Colleague's Story

2009-05-28T16:14:00.005+02:00

Tina is our dear friend and colleague here in Bratislava. She is a native Slovak and does a fantastic job as our photographer and print journalist. (Her photos are amazing!) Tina was here last time Heather was in Slovakia in 2006 and really made her time here memorable.

It was Tina who told me when were in IKEA that she couldn't believe they were selling red kitchens. I asked her what she meant, and she explained that, under Communism, even the colors of their rugs/carpet were chosen for them; for example, they could choose yellow with red dots or white with yellow dots. Tina says she and her father used to go hiking to the top of the mountain, and her dad would point to Austria and explain about the Western world. The things we read about in history books, you know?

We asked Tina to write a bit about her history, and we are SO thankful she obliged. In her own words...

"My grandfather was a Baptist minister from Ukraine. After World War II, he came to live in Slovakia and joined a small church where he served as a lay pastor. I can still remember the smell of his aftershave—saved for special occasions—and the smell of his freshly-ironed white shirt as he prepared for church each Sunday morning. One day, during my summer vacation, I remember opening a cabinet where I found many smuggled Bibles and Christian literature. He explained to me to keep quiet about what I saw.

"My parents were also actively involved in church work during Communism. At that time, any Christian media was forbidden, but the TWR´s radio waves from Monte Carlo were still able to cross the Iron Curtain. I learned about TWR radio by watching my parents and grandparents secretly listening to it during the night. Now, each time I host a music radio show on a TWR´s [National Slovak Partner] Radio7, I feel very privileged that we have the religious freedom to do so. Only 20 years ago, it wasn´t an option and I could have ended up in jail for doing so."

For more about the work TWR did to pierce the Iron Curtain, read about Mike's trip to Bulgaria. Or meet Albert, our Albanian Partner, who first learned about Jesus through Monte Carlo's TWR broadcasts in the 80's while he was scanning the airwaves for enemy radio signals working as leader in the Communist Army. Olexander, TWR's director in Ukraine, tells a similar story of the government placing radios in each home for Communist propaganda. Olexander's grandmother and her church were frightened, but their pastor was confident that God's word would one day come through those waves. Olexander's programs are now being broadcast through his grandmother's radio.

P.S. - Sorry for the delay in writing. The Wenzels' are here visiting and keeping us busy!

Video Tour of Our Flat

2009-05-23T19:00:00.001+02:00

Heather and I have received more than one request for a virtual tour of our little home in Bratislava. So, without further delay:

PS -- Dear would-be burglars, please note that the three doors between you and our apartment are ordinarily locked, that the building is armed with a security system, and that, in the end, our apartment contains nothing of value. Please take your business elsewhere, or, better yet, consider a career change. Nonprofit, maybe? Something that benefits society.

Updates

2009-05-22T11:39:00.002+02:00

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement. I feel like all we have done during our time here is wonder what the heck we're supposed to do and when and how and why and wouldn't it be great if God write it all on our Facebook wall? So much learning.

ZO! (as we say here.) Mike and I will be returning to the United States on July 1st.

This August, I will start a Master's of Social Work (MSW) program at West Chester University, which is in the same town we lived in 2008. It is a full-time program that will keep me more than busy for the next two years. In addition to classes and a field practicum, I have a GA at the on-campus Writing Center, which covers tuition--hooray! Getting this assistantship was really the only way I could attend the school, so we are thankful to God for this blessing!

We are excited to return to our Philadelphia friends and family. I cannot believe we are moving back there. Before we left and everyone asked Mike, 'So, are you going to go take a leave-of-absence from QVC?' it drove me crazy that he didn't flat-out tell everyone that, no, thankyouverymuch, we have all sorts of places to be and returning to West Chester in 2009 is not one of them. I mean, it was so obvious. You can imagine the grin on Mike's face when I walked into his office and sheepishly told him what school I had found to be the best option for my MSW.

In other news, Mama and Papa Wenzel are coming to visit us in two weeks! Also, a happy (belated) third birthday to beautiful Lily!

Lost in the Labyrinth

2009-05-17T12:10:00.000+02:00

In early April our college friend, Autumn, paid us a visit on her way back home from two years in Cambodia. We took her to Vienna to see the sights one day and rather impulsively decided to tackle the maze and labyrinth garden at Schloss Schonbrunn. To our shame, we documented the whole escapade.

The Contraption

2009-05-14T11:02:00.000+02:00

Sometime during the middle of winter, we started to suspect something strange was being built behind the sheet metal fence we pass on our way to work. At first, it looked like siege works or an oil well or something. I don't know--some giant piece of heavy steel machinery. Then, this spring, a neon green booth showed up in the lot with a gun-wielding gangster painted on the side. And then they painted the thing. Now there's no mistaking it:

That's right, folks--they're building an amusement park ride in our neighborhood. Right in someone's backyard.

"I Saw What I Saw," by Sara Groves

2009-05-12T14:25:00.000+02:00

I've struggled to put words to my thoughts after a week in Romania. I finally saw faces to go with the (quickly growing) statistics of human trafficking. The rate at which young girls are kidnapped from their homes or streets and sent to another country for a lifetime of sexual slavery is staggering. Can you imagine how hopeless a young girl must feel in a foreign country, without friends and family, with days marked only by repeated rape? I can't. I can't imagine how hopeless they are and how heartbroken God is about it. God says to reach the orphans and widows and prisoners--I can't help but wonder if these girls qualify as all three!

I can tell you one thing that I learned. Every single girl that has come through that shelter in Romania said this, "I cried out to God." That is how I know God exists, that in our hearts we know there is a god out there. The good news is that, in that shelter, you can answer, "See? He heard you. You're here now. You're safe." There are millions of girls calling out to God right now. I want them to know that the God they are calling out to loves them and hears them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
I saw what I saw and I can't forget it.
I heard what I heard and I can't go back.
I know what I know and I can't deny it.
Something on the road cut me to the soul.

Your pain has changed me, your dream inspires.
Your face a memory, your hope a fire.
Your courage asks me what I am afraid of and what I know of love.

We've done what we've done and we can't erase it.
We are what we are and it's more than enough.
We have what we have but it's no substitution.
Something on the road cut me to the soul.

Your pain has changed me, your dream inspires.
Your face a memory, your hope a fire.
Your courage asks me what I am made of and what I know of love.

I say what I say with no hesitation.
I have what I have, but I'm giving it up.
I do what I do with deep conviction.
Something on the road cut me to the soul.

Your courage asked me what I'm afraid of.
Your courage asked what I am made of.
Your courage asked me what I'm afraid of...and what I know of love.
...And what I know of God.

Request for Prayer

2009-05-11T11:15:00.003+02:00

Hello dear friends,

Mike and I are at a crossroads of sorts. We have absolutely no idea where we are going next. We have several options in front of us, and we're pleading with God: "Which one?! Tell us!" God has us so safely in his hands. Though each direction we could go is full of uncertainties, we know that if A or B is where God wants us, everything will be taken care of. The problem we are having now is hearing which direction is the one he wants us to go to.

I personally have worked quite hard to figure things out from a logical perspective. (Fun fact about me: I never learn.) Maybe God wants us to do this because of that; maybe what God is trying to do is get us here so we can eventually go there. I don't know if you've experienced this human phenomenon, but, let me tell you: it gets you nowhere!

Please pray with us. Pray for God's plan to be revealed. Pray that we are filled with peace and contentment, not anxiety. We know it will be in his perfect timing. We know that the deadlines coming up for these decisions (cough cough) do not matter to God.

Thank you for your prayers about Romania. I hope it is okay that I take some time to process before sharing! God was moving mightily, for sure. I do feel confident that the next step for me is pursuing an area of ministry that works directly with girls rescued from sex trafficking. Now how to go about that....

In other news, Mike and I totally chopped off each other's hair. That's right, friends. Mike Colletto looks like my boyfriend again. ("Husband," he keeps reminding me. He did have this haircut when we married.) He gave me this adorable angled bob. We're quite pleased with ourselves, actually.

Thank you. We're taking a week of personal vacation (finally!) this week, so we pray it is a time of renewal and quiet before God. With lots of rocking espresso to boot.

La revedere, as they say in Romania.

Heather and Mike

A Trip to the Grocery Store

2009-05-07T13:09:00.000+02:00

Usually, when Heather and I need to buy groceries, we take a short walk down the street to the little "potraviny" around the corner. But it's just a small shop, so, every once in awhile we make a run to Tesco (UK's Super Wal-Mart) or Hypernova for those harder-to-find items. NOTE: we shot this video months ago--on Super Bowl Sunday, in fact--back when it was still snowing nonstop in Slovakia.

Proverbs 21:24

2009-05-05T18:59:00.002+02:00

"A man's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?"

I stumbled across this Proverb the other day and have been thinking about it ever since. It's quite a paradox, isn't it? On one hand, how supremely comforting to know that the Lord is directing our steps! Yet...at the same time, how distressing not to know or understand the direction the Lord's taking us.

When Heather and I left our home in West Chester to come work for TWR in Slovakia, we had no idea what God had planned for our future. Four months later, we still don't know. In fact, when it comes to the future, I feel like there are more questions now than ever. Do we return to the States at the end of June as originally planned? To do what? Do we continue to work with TWR? If so, where? In what capacity? And how will our financial needs be met? Or do we pursue something new altogether? Further education? A different ministry opportunity? We don't know.

We've seen the Lord at work in our lives and hearts since the moment we set foot here. He's been so, so faithful, and we know He's directing our steps even now. But we're walking blind, our hands in His, unsure where our feet will land. Pray that we continue to trust Him in excited expectation and that we don't give way to fear...or try too hard to guide our own steps.

The Missionary Barber

2009-05-03T08:25:00.001+02:00

When in the course of human events it becomes self-evident that one badly needs a haircut...

...yet one is on the mission field (read: poor) in a country where one doesn't know the language, one is left with but one place to turn for help: the missionary barber--a.k.a. one's spouse.

Heather has now successfully cut my hair twice since we've been here--saving us money while saving my dignity. And, actually, I gave her hair a good trimming before she left for Romania.

Speaking of Romania, she'll be away for a week, visiting a safe house for girls rescued from the sex trafficking industry and, together with TWR's Partner, researching possibilities for using media to help victims of this atrocity and prevent more girls from falling prey. Pray for her travels!

Our Home Church Away from Home

2009-05-01T17:31:00.001+02:00

One of the biggest blessings God gave us before even arriving was our church--our very own Calvary Chapel right in Bratislava. Patrick, our pastor (pictured left), "randomly" found our blog last fall and extended an invitation to the church they host in their home each Sunday. We went just a week after arriving and fell in love with it. We meet every week at 3:30 p.m. and have a time of fellowship, prayer, music, teaching, and then dinner!

The church consists of a core group of believers that include a Japanese family, an American family I knew from last time I was here, and new Slovak friends as well. We all went to the park last Easter weekend and shared a lovely picnic. We also had Passover dinner together.

Mike is actually our worship leader! Patrick lets Mike keep his guitar during the week and it is such a blessing to see my husband lead our praise. We've always had a guitar in our home, and he used to pick at it every so often, but it wasn't until the first Sunday at church I heard my husband play a full song on the guitar! He plays excellently.

Below is an excerpt from our pastor's family prayer letter...

As you know, our main ministry focus is to plant a church here in Bratislava. Since September '08, God has opened the doors wide open to do just that and it has been amazing to simply watch God work (it is certainly not us!) The church plant is affiliated with Calvary Chapel (which is our model of ministry), but we have opted to call it CityLight. The name simply summarizes the vision--to be a light to the city of Bratislava. It's been a great encouragement to watch the Lord draw people to the church, to see a desire in the those who gather to serve and love one another, and watch people get excited about Jesus. Starting this week we will be launching a 5-week teaching series focused on God's plan for the Church and our part in it.

Please also pray for [my wife] as she leads the children's ministry which is a lot of work. There are sometimes as many kids as adults and they are of mixed age and limited space... so its quite a challenge! Pray that the fellowship will grow in the Word, His grace, prayer, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

Be sure to check out our new church website! You can also visit our pastor's family's personal blog to see where we stole some of these great pictures from. : )

Pray for the Roma

2009-04-28T09:28:00.004+02:00

As you know, I've been working on a short film highlighting TWR's ministry to the Roma people in Central & Eastern Europe since early February. The film was well-received at the Annual Partners' Conference last Friday night, so I'm pleased with how it's turned out. Expect to see it online around the first of May.

But this isn't about me; it's about the Roma.

I've had the privilege of meeting many Roma here in Slovakia and in Bulgaria, and my heart goes out to this people group. People hate them. They've been persecuted and oppressed for centuries and, sadly, violence against them has only been increasing during the last two decades. This article from Sunday's NY Times brought tears to my eyes. Pray for these people.

That every Roma person would come to know and experience the love of Jesus Christ, and that they would grow in their faith and their love for one another.
For the pastors in the Roma communities, that God would encourage them and give them strength to be examples to their congregations and their villages.
For TWR and its Partners, that they would receive all the necessary funding to continue and increase their work among the Roma people.
For Roma families, particularly the women, as they raise the next generation.
That those who have radios will start new listener groups and churches, and that, from among them, God will raise up godly leaders.
That the hearts of minds of those who hold prejudices against the Roma would be changed through Christ's love.

A Roma woman I met in Slovakia shared these words with me:

"I am a Roma, and my desire is that people open their hearts for God, that they don't live just their own lives, but they open it up for the Lord, because He is the good God who paid for us. I want everyone to hear His Gospel because He is the hope. My wish for them is that they forgive one another—that's when God is revealed. I would like to encourage them that there's someone who loves them. Although this world is malicious towards us, the Roma people, I want to say that God is the hope. Love one another."

Amen.

Annual Partners' Conference

2009-04-21T14:38:00.002+02:00

Hello friends!

Mike and I will be at the Annual Partners Conference in Bratislava this week, the biggest event of TWR Europe. Our PR Department hosts this event each year that brings together all of TWR Europe's national Partners. It is our Partners in each country that are the true lifeblood of Trans World Radio.

From offices and studios in their own county, our National Partners research the need for certain programming in order to produce culturally relevant material. (For example, Project Hannah's "Women of Hope" program has excellent scripts available, but the content details may need to be altered when speaking to a woman in the Middle East as compared to a woman in Western Europe, for example.) The on-the-ground work by local staff work to translate, adapt, produce, and broadcast programs so that others can hear the message of Jesus in their own language and dialect. National Partner staff communicates with listeners by phone, letters, and Skype.

It will be a privilege to meet many of these men and women this week, not to mention putting faces to names we've been e-mailing for so long. We appreciate your prayers this week, as this is an essential time for this global organization to come together to share about various areas of ministry, learn together, and encourage one another.

Thank you,

Heather and Mike

P.S. - You know how every time you look up the tour schedule of your favorite musicians, they're always in Europe? We're catching an Ingrid Michaelson show in downtown Vienna tonight for about 30 bucks. Yes, please! So, I suppose we should ask you to pray for energy as well, since the conference starts bright and early tomorrow morning! :-)

Easter in Bratislava

2009-04-17T07:30:00.001+02:00

It's been a short work week! Easter is a four-day holiday here, and the weather this past weekend couldn't have been nicer. Heather and I took full advantage. We played tourist on Saturday, roaming Bratislava's Easter Market and other parts of downtown we'd only walked past.

Above, I am wielding a souvenir branch for whipping. On Easter Monday in Slovakia, it is tradition for the boys (and drunk men, we hear) to whip their female friends and dump water over their heads. In return for this act that supposedly "makes them beautiful," the girls give them money and candy! Can you believe it? We actually didn't, really, until we saw every third man (big and small) on the street with a branch and a wary look in his eye.

We finally visited nearby Devin Castle, an old castle mostly in ruins. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as we climbed all over the ancient frameworks--very un-American. After anticipating it for months, we finally saw Slumdog Millionare (released overseas after its Oscar win) and the first half of the movie was in an Indian language with Slovak subtitles. Oops. We didn't understand much of this part, naturally, so we'll be re-watching when we get the chance.

Devin Castle's watchtowers on the Danube. Jamin, this picture is for you! :-)

Monday, we spent the day picnicking at the park with friends from church up in the hills outside the city. (Below: Ivetka, our pastor's wife, and her son, David; Peter and Sylvia, our friends from church.) Now, we're off to visit Munich with our colleague, Frank, for a nice weekend roadtrip to his hometown.

A Weekend in Bulgaria

2009-04-12T13:15:00.014+02:00

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Sofia, Bulgaria with Branko, my new boss, and Lauren Libby, the president of TWR, to visit Stoyko Petkov, the director of our local Partner ministry, Studio 865. My primary purpose on the trip was to film an interview with Lauren for some PR materials I'm working on, but it was also eye-opening to see first-hand some of the impact TWR's ministry is having. I found myself doing a lot of listening to and learning from people much wiser than myself, and returned from the trip with so much to process that it's taken me awhile to wrap my head around it all.

Saturday morning, we all went to a memorial ceremony in honor of 15 Evangelical pastors in Bulgaria who, 60 years ago, were falsely accused, arrested, tortured, and sentenced to life in prison under Communist rule. This very public trial was later followed by 9 more arrests and many other individual cases, all part of a well-orchestrated (and well-documented) Soviet scheme to destroy the Evangelical church in Bulgaria. Ultimately, it failed. Many pastors died in prison, but some still live and preach today. During the ceremony, three of these pastors who had suffered for their faith shared what was on their hearts. They spoke of forgiveness and warned the church to guard against the more subtle enemies that seek our destruction today--particularly complacency and materialism. It was quite an event. Ambassadors from several countries (including the US) as well as the former vice-president of Bulgaria were in attendance. And, out of all these dignitaries and important people, only Trans World Radio received a round of applause when introduced. It was pretty humbling. Everyone was truly grateful for the work TWR was doing even way back then, broadcasting the Gospel through the Iron Curtain to reach and encourage an oppressed church and it's imprisoned pastors. Afterward, we spent more than three hours over lunch talking with pastors from various denominations.

On Sunday, Stoyko drove us three hours north to Lom, a village just across the Danube river from the Romania border. There, we visited a Roma church where Lauren was asked to preach. Surprise! He did a fabulous job, using personal stories to illustrate Jesus' desire to forgive and reconcile people.Later that day, we visited another Roma village with two of the local Roma pastors. Two months earlier, our Partner had given one of these pastors several cassette tapes of TWR programming to give to people. He gave it to a young man, who gave it to his sister, who shared it with her friends...who all came to faith in Jesus and started a small church! When we arrived, we were welcomed by the most joyful woman I've ever met into her tiny, dirty little home, where a small group of Roma women, youth, and children gathered to hear about Jesus. It was such a privilege to be there. The Roma pastor asked me to share how I came to know Jesus, which I did while Stoyko translated. At the end, we asked how we could pray for them, and the woman's only request was "that we know more and more of Jesus." Another Roma girl, no older than sixteen yet already a widowed mother of three, prayed for wisdom in raising her children to know and follow Christ. It was a humbling experience. I, poor by American standards, have more to my name than their entire village. These people have nothing to call their own, yet all they wish for is more of God. They lived in conditions I would never wish on anybody, yet I found myself envious of their situation. They were wholly content, free from distractions, and full of joy. I'm excited to see what God will do through His children among the Roma.

Speaking of the Roma, I spent the last couple weeks wrapping up production on a new Epic Story film about TWR's ministry among the Roma people of Central and Eastern Europe. Hopefully I'll have something to show you before too long. Stay tuned!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T10:46:00.003+02:00

The food here is pretty... organic. The potatoes we buy at the corner market are still thick with dirt from being pulled out of the ground that morning. The stems on the chunks of tomato vines are still green on the inside. (The grapes, however, are vacuum sealed as though shipped from another planet.) When we looked into our fridge on this resurrection day, we found our onions--that (I swear, Mom!) were bought no more than two weeks ago--brought on a whole new meaning to the celebration of springtime. Mike pointed out that God hath provided the bloomin' onion I've been craving from home...

We are having a truly lovely four-day weekend. Can't wait to share pictures!

P.S. - Happy 10th Wedding Anniversary to Angie and Jamin!!! Congratulations.

Letters from Albania

2009-04-07T09:54:00.002+02:00

Click here to learn more about how TWR is reaching women in Albania. You can see a preview for the Epic Story about Project Hannah, TWR's global ministry for suffering women. Several of these letters are also in response to a very popular TWR program, Thru the Bible. The theme of oppression in these letters in heart-breaking.

"I live in a far village and I am so blessed that I can hear the radio. I and all my family are believers. The nearest church is far away from our village so we don’t have the possibility to go there. Radio has become good spiritual food for us. The program Thru the Bible is a wonderful opportunity to study the Bible together. It is like [the speaker] Dr. McGee comes to us at the same time every day to teach us the wonderful revelations of the Word of God. It is great, because the radio can come where it is difficult for others to come. "

"Christian radio is my great friend. I have my own shop where I style and prepare clothes for women. The radio in on all the time and the customers often ask me about different things they hear on the radio, so I have great possibilities to share my faith with them. I gave several of them fix-tuned radios and I’m amazed at the work the Lord is doing on their hearts as they go home. They come back so full of the Word. The Lord is increasing his Kingdom and this is so exciting. I tell everyone that, if they want to understand the Word, they must listen to TTB. May the blessings of the Lord be upon you."

"It’s a blessing for us to have you. I cannot go to church as my husband is against it, but I meet different Christian friends in my shop and we pray together. We want to know God more and the radio is helping us. It’s such an incredible and crucial help for me in growing as a Christian and sharing my faith with others. I keep the radio on all day long in my shop and different customers ask me about my faith. This way, I can share my faith; my husband is okay with this, as long as our customers are happy. "

"For many years, Christian radio was my only way of growing in faith. I came to the Lord through radio and as part of a family [from a different religious background]. I was never allowed to go to a small cell group in my village. My father destroyed all the Christian booklets I had and the Bible. Last year, he forced me to marry an unbeliever. Now I live in Greece and miss the radio so much. I miss the programs. Would you please send me your programs from the book of 1 Chronicles and further? Thank you. I pray for you all the time and I trust the Lord will strengthen your faith and bless the work of your hands."

"The TTB program is a great blessing for me. My husband does not allow me to go to church, so Christian radio is my great companion. I listen to the program and read the Bible with the pastor. It’s like a balm for my sprit. The Word is so powerful and encourages me to go on and trusting God that he will change my husband and bless my family. Thank you, and I’m praying for God’s great blessing on your life."

"Thank you for being a good friend to all of us who don’t have possibility to go to church. I am so blessed by the program of Mr. McGee. I am a Christian, but my husband doesn’t allow me to go to church. Thank you for giving us spiritual food through the radio. God bless you all. "

A Surprise Visit

2009-04-06T13:02:00.002+02:00

This past weekend we had the pleasure of Autumn West's company. Autumn, a fellow CU grad, just finished up over two years in Cambodia with the Peace Corps and returned to the States today. She was visiting a nearby friend in Budapest, Hungary and came to spend a few sunny days with us. Autumn was our official guinea pig for all future Bratislava/Vienna tours we'll give and, as a former Forensics team member, she more than appreciated that I made most of it up as I went. This is us in Vienna at the Easter Market. We also tackled the labyrinth garden at Schloss Schonbrunn; embarassing/amusing video to come.

These painted eggs were unbelievable and all over. My family always decorated for Easter so, even though Mike doesn't know it yet, our home will one day have a small tree with Easter eggs hanging from it. When our kids ask us what this has to day with Christ's resurrection, well...? I really wanted the egg that had the entire map of the world painted on it! But I couldn't bring myself to pay 7 Euros for a painted egg that probably won't survive the trip home. Alas...
And we simply had to post a photo of the giant pretzels we ate, of course.

Caring for "the least of these" in Serbia

2009-04-03T11:52:00.002+02:00

Trans World Radio's programming is constantly growing and changing. When the tsunami hit in 2006, TWR created programs to offer hope to the hopeless situation through Jesus Christ. They are doing the same in today's cholera epidemic in Africa.

In mid-November 2007, a research study was released that exposed the indecencies of a Serbian orphanage for mentally handicapped children, they had to do something. Children in this orphanage were so tragically unloved, some not being taken from their cribs for years at a time. For the full TIME article, please click here.

Following the report, TWR Serbia (Ikonos) and others sought out a way to help these children. Ikonos is merely a 15-minute car ride away from the main dormitory for disabled children and felt that such a close proximity indicates we need to help these almost forgotten children. Together, they came up with the idea to create a CD with 52 30-minute stories for these marginalized children. The programs are called "Grandma Vera's Storytelling."

Currently, TWR is not able to enter into the Mental Disabilities Health Care institution, but we can enter regular orphanages and institutions, as well as dormitories for special needs children. In these places, programming and Bible stories have been very well-received by the children. We pray that God will give us a door into the Health Care institution. TWR cannot heal this children or send workers into the orphanage, but we can send healing through Jesus Christ.

For more information about Grandma Vera's Storytelling or how to help, click here.

A listener letter

2009-04-01T12:46:00.002+02:00

Ramu was tall and gaunt, with sunken eyes that were always on the move, looking for the next young girl on whom to prey. Ramu was a pimp and had only one interest: to coax the villagers into sending their young girls with him to the nearby city where he would find work for them. Here is Ramu’s story in his own words (excerpted and adapted from the book I Heard a Voice by Vinita Shaw, CEO of TWR-India):

I would gather young girls and take them to the city, as one takes cows to be slaughtered, where they would be supplied to brothels. My trade was so prosperous that I supplied young girls to Mumbai and even across the border to Nepal. It wasn’t difficult at all. The poor villagers were like sitting ducks, waiting to be preyed upon. I would look for new villages each time. Making money had never been this easy, especially since I belonged to the area, looked like one of them, spoke their language and had a way of ‘marketing’ my ideas.

I earned a hefty commission because the steady flow of girls that I kept providing made me the best at the game. And so, I reveled in my newfound wealth and squandered it all. Never once did I regret my actions. Never once did I think of the ruin I had brought to the lives of innumerable young girls. Life was busy, and days were full for me.

The horror of my deeds never struck me, until one day, in my drunkenness, I switched on the radio and happened to listen to [TWR’s] Bhojpuri program. I heard it because the man was speaking in a colloquial language, something I did not have to stretch my mind to understand. I also heard it because the man’s voice had a gentle tone.

I listened to it again the next week, out of sheer curiosity. A radio program had never before had such an effect on me. As I continued listening, I began to realize the awfulness of my crimes and the immorality and ugliness of my life. I felt unclean and ashamed.

“And to tell you that I am not counting your sin (2 Cor. 5:19),” the speaker said on the program. These words burned in my heart. Who was offering me pardon, without my asking? Even I cannot forgive myself, I thought. Wasting no time, I invited the Lord Jesus into my heart. I confessed all my sins, and I am a changed man today. I still do not have the courage to look at myself in the eye, but I know that Jesus has forgiven me. Please pray for me.

—A TWR listener in India

My Prayer

2009-03-30T14:57:00.001+02:00

"When the Saints," by Sara Groves ("Tell Me What You Know" album)

Lord, I have a heavy burden for all I've seen and known.
It's more than I can handle.
But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones and I can't let it go.

And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought,
I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard.
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars.
When the saints go marching in, I wanna be one of them.

Lord, it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind.
It often overwhelms me.
But when I think of all who've gone before and lived the faithful life,
their courage compels me.

And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought.
I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard.
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars.
When the saints go marching in, I wanna be one of them.

I see the shepherd Moses in the pharaoh's court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord.

I see the long, quiet walk along the underground railroad.
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul.

I see the young missionary and the angry spear.
I see his family with no trace of fear.

I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights.
I see the sister standing by the dying man's side.

I see the young girl huddled floor.
I see the man with a passion come and kicking down that door.

I see the man of sorrow and his long, troubled road.
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load.

And when the saints go marching in, I wanna be one of them.

Things I Love about Living Here

2009-03-28T14:30:00.000+01:00

I read on another missionary's blog that sometimes it is healthy and good to make a list of the things you love about serving where God has placed you on the mission field.

The woman who works at the corner grocery store (the "potraviny") that loves practicing her few English phrases with us. I love to hear her read the amount "Tree eighty seeex."

The way everyone takes walks at any time of day. Elderly couples, families with strollers, teenagers--they just stroll and chat.

Colors! There is a bridal shop around the corner from work that is bright yellow, orange, blue, and green. Once communism fell, people really went crazy with house paint colors.

The words for hello and good-bye: "Ahoj" and "Cau," pronouned A-hoy and Chow. I love the upbeat rhythm of chirping "Ahoj!" any chance I get.

Pizzeria Amaretti, this pizza parlor down the street. It's the best pizza I've ever had in my life. Our friend knows the owner, so now he takes very good care of us. The pizza is fairly cheap and we can eat it for lunch for days.

The cast-iron fences everyone has around their homes. They are beautiful and a nice way to stay safe while still enjoying a nice view. Of course, all the windows are barred, too.

We love the walk to work. It's down a few streets and through two parks. It's a lovely stress-free way to begin and end a workday. When I asked Mike about this list, it's the first thing he said. And we haven't even hit spring yet!

Reading responses from listeners to TWR programs. It is the absolute best part of my job to hear of people's lives--so painful or simply empty--changed by Jesus Christ. I hope they encourage you, too, as I post them.

Our apartment! It's so goofy, really, and people that enter for the first time can't help but chuckle. But we love it! (Moms, don't yell about not posting pictures! We will... we will...)

Sending letters from here. The stamps are so fun and foreign looking and there is just something so romantic about putting a letter in the mailbox and knowing it is about to take an overseas journey. More than all that, though, we love GETTING letters. ;-)

Mike loves the fact that we can walk to our grocery store, pick up a few things after work for dinner, say hello to the same cashier, merely guess at prep instructions on the back of things.

We really, really like working with each other. You know how your spouse just gets your ideas and you play really well of each other? It's a pretty good trait to have in a colleague during brainstorming sessions. We both get so much done!

These might seem like silly little things, but they are the things that make me stop and thank God for putting us here in Slovakia. About every other week, Mike and I have a moment where we look at each other and say, "Dude. We live in Slovakia." Thank you, God.

Waiting, Waiting, and Bulgaria

2009-03-27T10:06:00.003+01:00

Hello dear friends!

Please be in prayer with us in the next week or two. From visa issues to budget meetings to one-on-one discussions with colleagues to expected letters, we wonder if God isn't going to work out a thing or two about our future plans in the next couple weeks. A lot of this was set into motion a month or so ago. Basically, all of these options were placed before us and, for various reasons, we had to wait until the beginning of April for answers. I am often incapable of waiting on answers, but it was a blessing to have a month to simply trust. There was/is nothing for us to do but trust. A wonderful(ly terrifying) place to be!

Mike just left for a weekend in Bulgaria. He will be traveling with our new boss, Branko B. and TWR's new president, Lauren Libby, to film Lauren for a short PR film called Why Radio? Our Bulgarian Partner office is also a television studio, and I know Mike is excited to play with some very expensive equipment--if they let him. Please pray for his safety in travels and his conversations with these two men he travels with.

We cannot wait for the Epic Story website for the Roma film to be set up so you can see (some of) the fruit of Mike's hard labor! He has put together some great recruitment materials, too.

This is the first time Mike has left me at home in our marriage! I hope it pours rain all weekend so I can justify burrowing myself into our flat for a few quiet days. I am looking forward to writing and listening to God in silence. Mike and I talked this morning about how it will be refreshing to have time with only God, and not the distraction of talking things out with each other. This time will also include, for my part, Coca-Cola, baking that will no doubt involve eating too much batter, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," and, to Mike's accurate guessing, probably some "Pride and Prejudice"-watching. Haha, just like last time, only there is a distinct scent of Michael Colletto's cologne in the air. Yes!!

Thank you for your prayers. We were about to ship out a letter to our supporters this week, but decided to wait until some plans are made in the next week or so.

Give me a Skype this weekend at 'heathercolletto' and I might might be able to ask Harry Potter to wait. :-)

Heather

Listener letters from around the world

2009-03-19T11:15:00.004+01:00

Everyday we have the true privilege of working with letters we receive from listeners. Any frustrations or doubts about what we are doing simply vanish with reading these letters. I just put together a few for the upcoming TWR Europe newsletter and thought I'd share. Each one of these was chosen from about a dozen in the region. TWR receives thousands every year and personally responds to each one.

Names and locations have been removed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

GERMAN
The wonderful program „Thru the Bible“ is my companion throughout the last years. I have been strengthened in my spirit and have joy and peace in my heart. Your clear explanation of God’s Word is so easy to understand. The hymns that are at the end of the program are particularly nice.

ROMANI-KALDERASH (formerly called 'gypsies')
I am glad that you gave us this solar radio. Along with my family who is Christian, we listen to your programs. I am a member in a small Baptist gypsy church and all my brothers are listening to your programs. We pray for you that God will give you strength and blessings.

POLISH
I am 52 and single. I am sitting my sentence and don’t know how long it will last. My parents are both dead. My cell mate often speaks to me about Jesus Christ. I see that those who live with God are happier because they can trust in God’s love and give their problems up to Him. I am fed up with the kind of life that I live. I would like to change it. Is it possible to correspond with somebody who is a believer? I have never experienced another person’s kindness or friendship.

ROMANIAN
I listen for 40 years to your programs, since 1967. I was hounded from home right after I was baptized. My only spiritual food was and is TWR Romania. I listen with a great joy and love and I am anxious to hear the programs every night. I listen first to the programs in the Hungarian language, then in Romanian. I have been blind for four years and am alone. I have no other relatives but there are so many sisters that come to my house. We pray together and I feel surrounded by their love and, also, I feel God so close to me. I love you very much and I am asking you not be discouraged. I prayed God to “feed” you like He did with Elijah by sending the “crows” for you, so you’ll be able to exist until He’ll come again.

ALBANIAN
I am writing to thank you for the TTB program. I got to know Jesus through the radio. I was in a very depressing situation. I have studied law and I haven’t got a job. When I first listened to the TTB program, it was just like a light in the darkness. Day after day, I began to learn more about Jesus and I wanted to know more about HIM. I am so glad God used you and this program to bring me in His Kingdom. Now, I go in church in my city and I would love to know God closer. May God bless you!

A Game for You

2009-03-17T10:25:00.002+01:00

In the midst of putting the final batch of
cookies in the oven one day,
Mike and I burst into laughter,
reminded once again of just how opposite we really are.

Can YOU guess who was rolling each half of the cookie sheet?

A Hero for Czechoslovakia in WWII

2009-03-16T12:20:00.000+01:00

If you have a few moments, please watch this short BBC news video about Nicholas Winton, a man whose brave efforts saved hundreds of children from Slovakia and the Czech Republic just before WWII broke out in this area. Below are sections of an accompanying article that explains more of the story.

I get tears in my eyes each time I watch the video. It is also hard to believe that this country was the setting for such a significant part of our world's recent history. Coming into a free society with IKEA and British grocery stores and giant advertisements, I do not appreciate that, when I was born, there were walls around this country.

The Story
At the Munich Conference in 1938, Hitler demanded the annexation of most of Czechoslovakia; because Britian and France had adopted a policy of appeasement, they did not stop him. No Czech representative was present at the conference.

Nicholas Winton knew that this invasion would continue to spread. He learned that the children of the refugees and other groups of people that were enemies of Hitler were not being looked after. He contacted other governments to see if they could arrange to take some of these children in. Only Britain, his home country, and Sweden agreed. They required 50 pounds and a family willing to foster each child.

Says Winton: "The situation was heartbreaking. Many of the refugees hadn't the price of a meal. Some of the mothers tried desperately to get money to buy food for themselves and their children. The parents desperately wanted at least to get their children to safety when they couldn't manage to get visas for the whole family. I began to realize what suffering there is when armies start to march."

Winton had to find funds to use for repatriation costs, and a foster home for each child. He also had to raise money to pay for the transports when the children's parents could not cover the costs. He advertised in British newspapers, and in churches and synagogues. He printed groups of children's photographs all over Britain. He felt certain that seeing the children's photos would convince potential sponsors and foster families to offer assistance.

On March 14, 1939, Winton had his first success: the first transport of children left Prague for Britain by airplane. Winton managed to organize seven more transports that departed from Prague's Wilson Railway Station. The groups then crossed the English Channel by boat and finally ended their journey at London's Liverpool Street station. At the station, British foster parents waited to collect their charges. Winton, who organized their rescue, was set on matching the right child to the right foster parents.

The last trainload of children left on August 2, 1939, bringing the total of rescued children to 669. It is impossible to imagine the emotions of parents sending their children to safety, knowing they may never be reunited, and impossible to imagine the fears of the children leaving the lives they knew and their loved ones for the unknown.

On September 1, 1939 the biggest transport of children was to take place, but on that day Hitler invaded Poland, and all borders controlled by Germany were closed. This put an end to Winton's rescue efforts. Winton has said many times that the vision that haunts him most to this day is the picture of hundreds of children waiting eagerly at Wilson Station in Prague for that last aborted transport.

"Within hours of the announcement, the train disappeared. None of the 250 children aboard was seen again. We had 250 families waiting at Liverpool Street that day in vain. If the train had been a day earlier, it would have come through. Not a single one of those children was heard of again, which is an awful feeling."

The significance of Winton's mission is verified by the fate of that last trainload of children. Moreover, most of the parents and siblings of the children Winton saved perished in the Holocaust.

After the war, Nicholas Winton didn't tell anyone, not even his wife Grete about his wartime rescue efforts. In 1988, a half century later, Grete found a scrapbook from 1939 in their attic, with all the children's photos, a complete list of names, a few letters from parents of the children to Winton and other documents. She finally learned the whole story. Today the scrapbooks and other papers are held at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, in Israel.

Grete shared the story with Dr. Elisabeth Maxwell, a Holocaust historian and the wife of newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell. Robert Maxwell arranged for his newspaper to publish articles on Winton's amazing deeds. Winton's extraordinary story led to his appearance on Esther Rantzen's BBC television program, That's Life. In the studio, emotions ran high as Winton's "children" introduced themselves and expressed their gratitude to him for saving their lives. Because the program was aired nationwide, many of the rescued children also wrote to him and thanked him. Letters came from all over the world, and new faces still appear at his door, introducing themselves by names that match the documents from 1939.

Today, Sir Nicholas Winton, age 97, resides at his home in Maidenhead, Great Britain. He still wears a ring given to him by some of the children he saved. It is inscribed with a line from the Talmud, the book of Jewish law. It reads:

"Save one life, save the world."

Radios for Roma

2009-03-10T09:26:00.009+01:00

Last summer, TWR's Partners in several Eastern Europe countries handed out Galcom solar radios to Roma communities. The Roma people are an oral society, which means their communication is done with little reading and writing. They are so discriminated against that few children are allowed into schools and unemployment is very high. They have little trust. They are told they are unworthy and unloved. Many governments have tried to ban Roma customs and languages while attempted to assimilate them entirely.

Initially, they just handed out solar radios with information about TWR programming. Prejudice against the Roma as thieves and crooks were so strong that many got in trouble for owning the radios, since no one would believe they are a gift. When TWR handed them out again, they handed out radios tuned exclusively to TWR's programs.

Imagine hearing in their uncommon, native tongue that there is a God who loves them, who thinks they are everything, who wants to offer them hope. These programs are powerful. We hope to raise more awareness through one of the Epic Stories Mike is directing. Pray for them during the editing stages.

Moise Marin, a missionary of TWR Romania (white shirt), helped hand out the radios to the Roma communities in Romania. He sent us this report last week:

"Last summer, I distributed a number of solar radios in a village, and one person started a ministry among the people who received those radios there. Now, after a few months, there is a small church. From another Roma church, the people who received teh radios told me that they need to listen more to learn about God because the program is too short. I am thankful to God that there are two churches that were planted in two small villages after the radios were received and TWR's programs were listened to."
Visit radiosfortheworld.com and click on "Eastern Europe" to learn more about the radios and how you can gift a radio to a Roma family or community.

Slovak 101

2009-03-06T10:55:00.002+01:00

The other night, we went to Exit, a downtown career/college group of about 200 people. It was a lot of fun--definitely more the style of meeting and worship that I grew up with. (Excluding an electronic violin, which I did not know existed until now.) A visiting band was playing, and the kids kept hopping around. I felt old. First, I simply didn't want to hop around--all that energy!--and, secondly, because I worried I might break something.

During worship, all the words were in Slovak. If they sing a worship song we know, we sing along in English. Mike and I, both major word nerds, are distracted by thoughts of amazement: we're singing the same thing, but with different words, at the same time, and it still works with the music, and God hears the same thing. Now that we're learning pronunciation, it is really helpful to see words up on the big screen while people sing. Some words are, like, seven letter longs with no vowels. It makes my brain hurt. I try to sing along but, unless the words have been translated by a friend, I simply cannot sing praises to God. Like, my brain doesn't function. To me, Slovak sounds exactly like someone who is making up a goofy language on the spot. So, I can't take myself seriously. I barely sing out English worship songs, so I think God understands.

Anyway, all that to say, here are a few common phrases to give you a feel for the language...

YES = ANO Ahno

NO = NIE nyeh

PLEASE = PROSIM proseem

I'M SORRY / EXCUSE ME = PREPACTE prepachte

GOOD MORNING = DOBRY RANO dobrye rano

GOOD DAY = DOBRY DEN dobrye den

HELLO = CAU or AHOJ chow or ahoy

THANK YOU = DAKUJEM dyahkooyahm

GOOD NIGHT = DOBRU NOC dobruh nots

GOOD-BYE = DOVIDENIA doveedenya

I DON'T KNOW = NEVIEM. nyehveeyem

Oh, how we say it with such pleading in our souls!:

DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH? = HOVORITE PO ANGLICKY? havoreete poh angleetsky

Our personal favorite:

SORRY, I DON'T SPEAK SLOVAK = NEHOVORIM PO SLOVENSKY nyehavoreem poh slovehnskee

The good news and bad news...

2009-03-02T16:44:00.003+01:00

Recently, during an annual meeting of European management, it was time to discuss the budget. They had just received some bummer news that organizations, such as the Billy Graham Association, had to cut back on people and radio programs due to economic hardship.

That same week, they heard what their new president, Lauren Libby, had been up to during this recession. As you'll read below, he visited a NC radio station for a pledge drive and, by the grace of God, raised over $117,000 in ONE DAY! Talk about street cred. Haha.

We are so thankful for Lauren's enthusiasm and drive to take TWR to the next level. This is an excellent reminder that we can't always say "Oh, there's no money" for this or that ministry. Don't tell God there's no resources. Just listen and go.

____________________________________________________

Estonia Transmitter Upgrade

In an all-day on-air campaign on February 24, Trans World Radio partnered with Black Mountain, NC-based radio station WMIT-FM and raised $117,085 toward TWR’s strategic Estonia Transmitter Project. Upgrading the existing AM transmitter from 100,000 to 200,000 watts will allow TWR programming to reach a potential of 159 million spiritually needy people in Russia.

In 2008, TWR broadcasts on two large Russian nationwide networks were terminated, ending Christian radio programming for large areas in Russia. Fortunately, TWR has been able to utilize another well-positioned transmitter in Estonia, but the current signal strength is too weak to penetrate the large cities in Russia. Once the upgrade occurs, a strong signal will penetrate places like Moscow, Kiev, St. Petersburg and Minsk.

WMIT’s radio campaign provides a tremendous boost toward TWR’s overall goal of $409,000 needed for the project. TWR supporters will receive more details about this project in the mail this April, but to discover more information or give toward this vital project now, click here.

Waiting

2009-02-26T11:05:00.003+01:00

Hello,

The snow has finally stopped falling on Bratislava. It was a very Omaha-esque cycle, actually. Coldcoldcold--ooh, It's so warm! It's spring! Let's put away our--snowsnowsnowsnow... Mike is so jealous of my awesome Land's End boots my big sister made me buy for Cedarville back in 2004. I think I've worn them twice before moving here, and now I wear them every day. Amy, I completely related to your blog post about the feeling of absolute power when tromping around in brand-name winter boots. Slush, ice, water, dog spots--nothing phases me and my Land's End boots. (Clearly, I've just destined myself to break my arm on the ice this weekend...)

Everyone asked us for prayer requests when we first got here. Honestly, we didn't have much to say! We were just thankful to be here! I prayed for something to bring Mike and I together. Cue the Bratislava Virus of 2009: one newlywed couple, one flu virus, one twin bed, and one tight hallway to the bathroom. Yep, we got closer alright!

As we continued to prayer for this, though, God laid out opportunities to start making plans for the future--much sooner than anticipated! Often, Mike and I found ourselves looking down different roads. We knew we had the same goal in mind, so it was strange to see that this is where God had us. We knew and are still finding out how the way God works with us individually, though it might not make sense, will lead us to a common purpose if that is what we desire.

It has been a long few weeks. Mike and I have been in a great deal of prayer about our future, and God has been so faithful to listen, direct, and answer. So much of what God has taught Michael and I as individuals and a couple (and all the in-between!) has been patience and wisdom regarding God's perfect timing. We have both run into situations countless times that make no sense, seem to be dead-ends, and make us wonder if God has forgotten about us. It's not long before we realize God had other plans, and, oh, how much better they were than ours! I always end thanking God he didn't listen to my crazy scheming because he loved me too much. (I usually end up saying similar things to Mike, come to think of it...) We have been called on so frequently to be patient. I struggle with this in particular, but God has given me many, er, challenges to learn from Him and his perfect timing. All that being said, it is such a blessing to work through these things as a married couple. It is so wonderful to be in such close, needy prayer with Mike as we bow together before our God.

Mike and I are in the midst of figuring out our future, basically. Where do we go after this? When? For how long? Any news articles on the job economy make us so nervous, but we know God is bigger than that. There are a few avenues we are looking in to, and we know God is faithful to open and close doors as we actively seek to walk in His will. Please be in prayer with us over these things.

Heather and Mike

Behold, a Solution!

2009-02-24T15:40:00.004+01:00

For all of you who are writing paper checks each month....

After much investigation, we have discovered a link on TWR's website for the Direct Giving Plans. If it would be more convenient for you to automatically give monthly (and, boy, would we like to make it as convenient as possible for you!), fill out the form at the bottom of that webpage to sign up for one of two Direct Giving Plans. You can either pay by credit card automatically each month or simply do an automatic bank transfer on a certain day of the month.

Please accept our apologies for the hassle in all of this. I hope that this will make it so much easier on you! We wouldn't be here without our monthly support, and we continue to depend on it mightily. We have about 1/3 of the monthly support we need, and the remaining amount of our one-time donations is what is keeping us here for six months. Thank you to all who gave or are giving!!!

Heather and Mike

Photos from Greece

2009-02-20T17:10:00.017+01:00

Greetings from a very snowy Bratislava! It has been snowing for about a week now. It felt like spring not too far back. When Mike and I arrived after our walk to work, we were literally covered in about a 1/2-inch layer of snow!
Here are a few photos from our week in Greece...

Filip, our videographer, and I filmed street interviews to find out how frequently the average Thessaloniki citizen listened to radio, when and where they listened to it, and do they trust it more than TV or radio. It was unanimous that everyone would rather listen to the radio than watch TV. The general distrust for TV, of course, made it extremely difficult to get people to talk with us, even on a campus full of college students. But Filip and I definitely bonded in our rejection!
Barbara, our boss, Mike, and Frank, our photographer, filming street life as the sun sets behind the sea. It was strange to look across the sea and see mountains. I kept calling it 'Mt. Zeus.' It's actually Mt. Olympus, where Zeus lives. I don't think I did well on mythology exams... Frank, a contact in Germany, is an excellent photographer and it was delightful spending time with him. He kept us on schedule and detail-oriented!

Mike and Theodore, our Grecian partner and guide, working hard after another fantastic meal. This was the night we went at 8 p.m. and they had to unlock the doors for us. Around 9 p.m., a family with a baby came in to eat. You know, to beat the crowds. We spent our days filming scheduled interviews and getting footage of the city. You can get a lot of work done if you don't eat dinner until that late at night!

Barbara and I, maybe not working quite as hard as Mike and Theodore. Barbara worked with David and Amy Wenzel on the Epic Stories in 2006, which is how I heard about TWR. She is actually a childhood friend of the Ms Amstutz! Small world we live in. We really, really respect and adore Barbara and her husband, Steve, so much. Especially this weekend when they brought us a grown-up bed. They are in the middle of moving back to the States. We'll miss them!

We are thankful God is using TWR's programs in Greece to do great things!

Greetings from Thessaloniki

2009-02-12T16:21:00.004+01:00

As soon as we got into the van at the Thessaloniki airport, Theodore, the tall, smiling Greek who runs our programs in this country, told us one thing.

"The laws in my country," he explained in a relaxed accent, "are... uh, flexible."

As cars, vans, and motorbikes weaved recklessly in and out of pseudo-lanes, we began to believe this might be true. Cars double-park in two vehicles wide here, the outer ones leaving phone numbers on their dashboard if you are behind someone and need to be let out. People pile onto motorbikes and they squeeze themselves between buses (who all seem to be headed to IKEA) and vans, always barely making it.

The first night here we took some scenic footage, watching the sunset over the sea and behind Mt. Olympus. (Yes, that one!) We walked up to the old city fortress and saw the gate that Paul entered during his visit here, a time that later led to 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. This city is very strange in that, within 40 meters of this ancient arch built by a Roman emperor that was later damaged by the Turks, there is a Starbucks. It is a thriving college town of about 40,000 students.

The next day, we interviewed Theodore officially, as well as a few shop owners that listen to our programs. In the afternoon, we visited the director of St. Luke's Hospital, a Christian hospital nearby; the director is also the pastor of the Evangelical Free Church of Thessaloniki. This hospital is not merely Christian by name, but it exists to heal people physically and spiritually, even broadcasting the Gospel message twice a day. Some argue it is taking advantage of the sick, but it is also unanimously known as the most top-notch hospital in the city, so everyone wants to come here. It was a fascinating interview with this man, the director, and he served us the best hospital food you've ever imagined because, hey, it's Greece!

The Lord works in interesting ways. Today we returned to the hospital, and we were once again guests of the director. This leads me to a prayer request and praise to God. Tina, our colleague here for photography, was hit by a motorbike not five minutes after we all split up to get some footage. The bikes fly around corners and he simply didn't see her crossing in time. The rider, Tina, and the bike ended up in a pile on the road. Praise the Lord no car was behind them and that is was only a bike. Tina found us a few minutes later, obviously very shaken, so she sat for a while. She only had a few marks on her leg. When we went to the van about an hour later, there was a orange-sized welt on her leg, so we headed to the hospital. She had the best doctors in the city waiting on her, as the director had told everyone a phrase us Americans taught him the day before: "She's with me!"

Today we went to the top of a mountain where our radio towers are located. Then we went downtown to get some man-on-the-street interviews about people's interaction with radio. What we discovered confirmed the statistics: people here are not interested in and distrustful of television; their primary news and entertainment source is the radio. Ironically, because of this, NO one would allow themselves to be on camera. We found 10 people out of about 50, and I had to do all the question-asking because Theodore said they expect journalists to be pretty, young women. Ha! Imagine how that added to the experience of putting on my friendliest voice ("Excuse me, but may we ask you a few questions!!) and getting constantly rejected! Haha.

I am back at the hotel with Tina, who is recovering. Everyone else is interviewing the Thessaloniki station owner and visiting the home of a listener. Tomorrow we are driving a few towns over to interview an archeologist. They are constantly finding new discoveries in this area, and the history of the Bible just keeps getting confirmed.

By the way, I had a real gyro today. It was about the size of my face and it was wonderful. That is all I will tell you about the food because anything else will just make you wild with envy.

Epic Stories

2009-02-09T14:27:00.006+01:00

Mike and I will be in Greece from Tuesday to Saturday working on another film for the Epic Stories series. These eight films were produced by the TWR Europe PR department back in 2006. Actually, the creation of these films is how I heard about TWR in the first place, as David's production company and Amy's photography were large parts of the mad skills behind these initial films. My internship followed only months later.

Speaking from experience, the Epic Stories are a really powerful tool to raise awareness and education about TWR's global ministry. Each film is 8-12 minutes long and describes a particular area of TWR's work in a particular area and why it is such a vital ministry.

Our favorite Epic Story to use in fundraising was the film covering Ala's Diary, an internet program in the Middle East reaching youth. More than half of the Middle East's population is under the age of 25, and they are all deciding who they want to be and how they want to live. Anyone, not just Christians, can see how extremely significant this next generation will be in deciding the world's next steps. TWR is there, telling them about Jesus in a peer-to-peer ministry.

Just to name a few other areas covered by the films:

A nomad from North Africa begging for more oral programming, as his people are miles and miles from the nearest church and are unable to read a Bible.
On a radio meant to be used for communist propaganda, a Ukranian pastor and producer first heard about Jesus through TWR's programs reaching past the Iron Curtain.
A woman in Albania uses her shop to promote TWR's Project Hannah program for women to encourage her sisters that are so often oppressed and hopeless.

We'll be traveling to Greece to answer a question we get so often: Why Radio? Greece's FM radio programs are also aired on the internet, and TWR's hour of programming is the most-listened to, by far. (It's true. I've seen the statistical print-out!) In a recent survey of developed countries, it was revealed that radio is one of the most trusted and used sources of information. (Politicians were at the bottom of the last--some things are truly global!) Greece is simply an excellent example of how truly relevent and powerful radio is today, even in a 'developed' country.

We are also filming an Epic Story about the plight of the Roma people in Eastern Europe, a group of people that make up the largest minority group in Europe. Formerly (and incorrectly) referred to as 'gypsies,' this oral society of people is very segregated, thought to be liars and thieves, and refused education and employment. TWR is creating programs for them in their unique native tongue, which varies country-to-country. They are also handing out solar radios so they can hear our programs.

The Shop Around the Corner

2009-02-03T16:57:00.000+01:00

Heather and I are blessed and cursed with an apartment that's just a short walk from a wonderful little Slovak bakery. Heather remembered it was somewhere nearby from when she lived here before, but the place is unmarked and the streets can be a little confusing. The first morning we set out to find it we wandered about for a good twenty minutes. Turns out it's right around the corner. Now we have the route down pat.

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PS -- Bonus points to anyone gets the title reference

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-01T19:00:00.003+01:00

Sushi Night in Slovakia

2009-02-01T09:48:00.003+01:00

The quarantine has been lifted! Heather and I are both back from the dead, on our feet, and feeling fine for the PR retreat. We had big plans for a day trip to Vienna this Saturday, but instead spent our morning sleeping and our afternoon reading in our sunny sitting room. It was oh-so refreshing. Plus, it was a personal triumph to see Heather reading a sci-fi/fantasy book -- I finally convinced her to start the Harry Potter series and she tore through the first in less than 24 hours. I'm so proud.

Anyway, last weekend, before the plague struck our house, we went over to our neighbor's house for sushi night! Yep, sushi -- not exactly something we expected to find in a landlocked Eastern European country. We were quite excited. Of course, we couldn't find any sushi-grade raw fish (it is a landlocked Eastern European country, after all) but it ended up being excellent anyway. Watch and learn:

Collettos: Quarantined (should be, anyway)

2009-01-29T14:26:00.005+01:00

Thank you for your prayers. Mike was able to attend the Roma meeting yesterday. ("I look like a corpse," he mumbled upon entering the room, shivering.) If you know Michael, you know that sleeping for 24 hours straight and not eating for 48 is very unlike him. He has been in quite a sorry state, and we were expecting today to finally visit a Slovak doctor or hospital, which, of course, we were trying to avoid. But, praise God, it looks like he is on the mend today. We did not go to work today, however, because it turns out Mike didn't have food poisoning. It was the flu!

I'm sure they don't spend too much time on this in medical school, but sharing a twin bed for two nights with someone suffering from influenza and proceeding to lie next to them during the day because they are very warm and cozy (read: feverish and chilled), and then drinking after them because you got your glasses mixed up.... all or any of these things WILL spread the influenza virus. So, yeah, guess who got the flu, too? :-)

I know an entire post about a very unpretty thing is a little strange, but allow me to share how God used this time to remind us of His goodness.

I had to get to work early for the meeting and he was still sick. He promised he would follow in a few, so I grabbed his iPod and walked to work. (The electricity had been going on and off all morning--ugh.) I have just never seen him so fragile and sick, and leaving him was physically painful. I cried on the way to work in the pouring rain. Mike has Casting Crowns on his iPod, so I turned on "Who Am I?" which I've probably heard twice before. When it got to the verse where Casting Crowns sings, "Who am I that the voice that calmed the seas would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me?" God gave me His peace. By the next block, the rain had turned to snow, and I cried the rest of the way to work not for Mike's sickness, but for God's goodness. I pray I remember these truths when stronger storms come.

It is only by God's graciousness that I got sick two complete days after Mike, so that we were able to take care of each other. I was exposed to everything Mike was, and only God's timing explains that I didn't get sick until Mike was just well enough to return my care. That boy pours cup of Sprite with all the lovingkindness in the world.

Also, thank God for technology so that Dr. Dad can Skype us what to do and our moms can e-mail "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry your sick!" which everyone knows will bring down your fever by at least few degrees.

During Mike's onset and my own, I literally had personal contact with everyone we know--colleagues from two offices, our next door neighbor, both downstairs neighbors... I am such a loser. Please pray the entire PR team from yesterday's meeting remains healthy for our retreat early next week.

Meeting for upcoming Roma Epic Story

2009-01-27T17:33:00.005+01:00

We have a big meeting tomorrow to plan for an upcoming Epic Story about TWR's ministry to the Roma people in Central and Eastern Europe. Mike will basically be producing the film (and another upcoming one--in Greece! more on that later...) and the PR team is getting together tomorrow to work on the script and plan out the filming. A few technicians will also be there to be a major help.

The Roma have a long history of oppression and segregation globally, but particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. They are often stereotyped as illiterate liars and thieves. The diminutive term for their group is 'gypsies.' Voice of the Roma is just one example of a TWR program that is reaching this people group in their unique and native tongue for Christ. They also distribute radios that can only be used to listen to TWR programming, and TWR recieves many listener letters of thanks from those who can write.

There have been a few mishaps in preparation to film an Epic Story for the Roma people and one covering TWR in Greece. Our videographer was unable to travel at the last minute. Mike was unable to attend a key planning meeting in Vienna today because he has the flu or food poisoning or something awful like that. Our photographer thinks she is getting a fever. Production is on a tight schedule and we are praying that we remember God is in control.

Please pray for our health. Mike was very very sick all night and has been awake for maybe an hour this entire day. Please pray for the rest of our team's health and that tomorrow's meeting will be productive.

Meanwhile, I have attempted my first coffee cake, compliments of a recipe from Mike's Aunt Patti. I don't have high hopes, as I'm not sure I used actual brown sugar and there were about half-a-dozen mathematical conversions I did in my head while measuring with metric ingredients and tools...

The Quest for Quality Kava*

2009-01-23T11:25:00.001+01:00

I confess: Heather and I are coffee snobs. Here in Slovakia, however, most peoples' idea of "good coffee" is Nescafe Gold — which, hate to break it to you, isn't really coffee. While it deceptively resembles coffee in appearance, it smells like burning and tastes like a dirty mug of warm water. Yep, I learned that info the hard way. I'll pass, thank you.There are a few alternatives to Nescafe, but nothing comparable to a cup of Starbucks coffee. Starbucks itself isn't available anywhere in the entire country. And so it was that I fell slowly into despair.

Then, on Saturday, our neighbor and new friend, Heather, appeared on our doorstep with warm homemade cinnamon rolls and a pound of genuine, whole bean Starbucks Sumatra and a French press coffee maker. I think I heard angels singing.

Immediately, a problem presented itself: neither of us had a coffee grinder. Undeterred, I poured the beans into a baggie, wrapped the baggie in a towel, and beat the beans into pieces with a small hammer. True story. Don't believe me? Watch the video:

____________________
*Kava = coffee in Slovak

The View from St. Michael's Gate

2009-01-22T21:40:00.000+01:00

The Saturday after we arrived in Slovakia, one of our coworkers, Alica (pronounced Aleetsa -- "c" makes a "ts" sound in Slovak), offered to show us around the Bratislava City Center. The City Center is about 17 minutes away by bus. It was a painfully cold day for a long walking tour, but we were warmed along the way by hot roasted chestnuts purchased from a cart on the street and a meal of goulash and perogies at the Slovak Pub. The highlight of the afternoon, however, was the view from St. Michael's Gate. The tower dates back to the 13th century. Now it's a small museum with a weapons exhibit...and a great view of the city.

Listener Letter from North Africa

2009-01-21T10:31:00.004+01:00

TWR receives countless listener letters, text messages, and Skype calls each month from every region of the world. The contact information of a local TWR office is given to listeners in broadcasts, then every single letter is responded to, translated, and sent internally among TWR to encourage its workers. Here is one from North Africa that TWR received this past month.

"A few years ago, while I was serving in the military, I was depressed and disgusted with my life. One day when I was on patrol duty around the barracks, I resolved to take my life with my weapon of service. Suddenly, a friend arrived to relieve me of my patrol. Seeing my depression, he held out a small radio receiver and said,'Take this receiver. I received a broadcast from abroad; somebody was speaking our language. Go take a rest and listen well to what the speaker says.'

"I turned on the small receiver and a few minutes later I heard a voice read Acts 16:27-31: The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, 'Don't harm yourself! We are all here!' The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—-you and your household.;

Through this verse, I believe I heard the voice of Jesus tell me, 'Do not give yourself over to death, believe only! I am here to give you life. I will give life to you and to your family, and to your friend that is with you!'

"After hearing this, my purpose in living was restored to me because Jesus gave me His life. I told my friend about this event, and he gave his heart to Jesus also. When I shared the story with my family, who are devout followers of another religion, they gave glory to Jesus. They also accepted Jesus as their King and their Savior Who is able to give them life."

You can also click here to watch Grace Burnham, a missionary held captive by separtist terrorists in the Philippines with her husband, explain how TWR reached out and encouraged them in the jungle.

Contact Address

2009-01-20T11:45:00.004+01:00

Note: There was a mix-up regarding our mailing address here. Here is the correct mailing address...

Heather and Mike Colletto
c/o TWR-CE
P.O. Box 12
820 02 Bratislava 22
Slovak Republic

You can also find it on the right-hand side of this blog, under 'Contact Us.' Thanks!

If you are sending Betty Crocker mixes or peanut butter, do not include Mike's name. Only mine. In fact, place a note inside that says "For Heather only. Pain upon death for anyone else who uses the enclosed items."

P.S. - The Russians and Ukraines signed a (real) deal! Woot!

Raindrops on roses and strudels and schnitzels...

2009-01-15T16:09:00.002+01:00

Yesterday we drove with Daniel, our co-worker, to TWR's office in P'Dorf, a village just outside of Vienna. (P'Dorf is the merciful abbreviation of Perchtoldsdorf.) It was sleeting hard onto our windows when we woke up, and God granted us safe travel on the roads. We met everyone in the Vienna office and finally got to meet with our boss, Barb, and her assistant, Anne. It felt great to nail down a few details on our job descriptions and finally get rolling.

For lunch, we ate at one of P'Dorf's 50-60 famous Huerige restuarants. P'Dorf is surrounded by family-owned vineyards, and most are associated with their own restaurant that is only open half of the year for about two weeks at a time. The way to tell which restuarant is open when is by the wreath hanging up near the doorway. It's something about avoiding taxes by being an official restaurant, but it is legal--something to do with old legal systems. All you really need to know is that you can order a spinach strudel the size of a Chipotle burrito and a wiener schnitzel larger than your face.

Mike and I went to Hypernova last night, the local grocery store ("potraviny") that is located inside a giant shopping mall. It was a challenge, and the only word for any meat I could remembr was "sunka" for ham, and we don't really like ham, but all the other meats looked the same and they seem expensive but wait they're in kilograms so how many kilograms is a stupid pound and Mike checks his iPod Touch application but I worry about him whipping that thing out and for crying outloud why didn't we eat before we got here?! We came home with full bags, but I'm not really sure what is currently in our fridge.

Today is our first official day of work. Mike has spent most of the day researching and interrogating everyone about what they do and how TWR is organized, etc. (Last night, he explained it back to me in an extensive QVC metaphor, and it was quite brilliant.) He is so eager to learn, and it has been so strange to see him in business-mode. Not that I am surprised, but I am so impressed by what a hard worker and stubborn thinker he is. He already has double the amount Slovak phrases that I do.

Moe's, Proscuitto, and the New CEO

2009-01-13T13:46:00.003+01:00

"Did you hit your butt on the ceiling?" I asked Mike. He was frowning from the small corner of our room where he was putting some new sheets on our bed. He nodded, rubbing the small of his back with a grimace, and we coulnd't help but laugh. Only in our apartment, where the ceiling (the building's roof) sharply slants to each corner of the room, would that even be humanly possible. Mike is still learning when to duck.

Last night, Tina (co-worker and friend) was going to sing some jazz music at a pub downtown. The pub was called "U Muchko," which means "At Moe's." It is modeled after the bar in 'The Simpsons,' and the walls displayed a lot of memorabilia. Random, right? We met up with a few new friends and Frank (other co-worker and friend) and had a nice time listening to some excellent music by Caroline Hitland of Norway. We saw her a few nights ago, too, and her Danish boyfriend was there, tap dancing in accompaniment. It was so adorable! They both looked like Josh and Abbie Cobb, down to every facial expression and gesture, and it made me miss them so much!

Mike was so funny at the table: he spent a good deal of the evening staring intently at the short menu, asking what different words meant and making some pretty accurate guesses at others. He is already doing well at picking up pieces of the language and applying them. Although, this morning on our walk to work, he almost bumped into someone and couldn't think of the correct word for "excuse me" in time.

"Prepachte!" he remembered, just after we turned the corner. "I can never remember the 'p' words. Prepachte... prosim... proscuitto..." (As Mike sometimes like to sing: "Which one of these is not like the other?")

In more important news, TWR's new President and CEO, Lauren Libby, visited the Bratislava office today, and it was a very big deal. His wife, June, joined him. I was immediately impressed by him, and he did an excellent job being carted around everywhere, shaking hands and learning names with a genuine smile on his face. He gave his testimony of how he came to Christ and his career experience with media and the Navigators. He also explained his vision for TWR for the next few years, and a part of that was recruitment for the next generation of the TWR family, which is very exciting to Mike and I. It was something I was very interested in last time I was here, too. We made a point of speaking with Lauren about how we can get involved in whatever he has planned, so hopefully that will pan out!

Today and yesterday in the office have been all about preparing for and enjoying Lauren's visit, and tomorrow we train in Vienna to actually get started! We are ready to get this show on the road!

How are you? How are you? How are you?

2009-01-09T21:06:00.003+01:00

Last night we meet with some friends at a lounge downtown to hear a blues/jazz band. The singer was an adorable Norwegian girl and, before the night was over, we heard a song in Dutch, Norwegian, Slovak, English, and Russian. This evening we met with Tina, a co-worker and old friend, and went to the mall to see "Yes Man." The main characters went to Lincoln, Nebraska in the movie and even attended a Huskers game! SO surreal. I was expecting to hear cheers, then realized: "Um. I'm in Slovakia."

Mike is making himself very at home. Whenever we are in separate rooms, I heard thuds and clunks and shuffling in the next room as he fixes or organizes things here and there.

I've been walking around telling everyone in Slovak "It's nice to meet you," only to discover that I was really asking "How are you?" Which, sure, makes me sound friendly enough, but the mix-up explains why I got strange looks the second or third time I said it to someone, particularly while they are walking away.

Please be praying about the conflict Russia is having with Ukraine and the rest of Eastern Europe. Slovakia gets all of its natural gas from Russia through Ukraine, and we heard today that Slovakia has eight more days of natural gas in reserves before they run out. How strange for a second-page newspaper headline to be so pressing to our daily lives. I caught myself thinking "America will save us." I just know that the Western World wouldn't let everyone freeze in the dead of winter, but I still felt strange thinking something so-- I don't know. I asked Mike if that thought made me sound very American or very unamerican. He said "very American" after thinking about it, and I think he is right. Of course, shouting "Go Big Red" at a Slovak movie theater probably wasn't fooling anyone anyway.

We're here!

2009-01-08T16:11:00.003+01:00

We arrived safely to Bratislava! It will probably be no surprise to you that we unpacked and moved in the second we stepped foot inside our apartment. I am now officially done moving furniture and manipulating suitcases for several months, thankyouverymuch. They had a welcome party for us at the Bratislava office this morning, and it was great to see familiar faces and for both of us to meet new friends.

We start work officially on Monday. Until then, they have a few outings in the city planned for us. We slept a bit on the plane, but we're pressing through a jazz concert tonight then sleeping for, oh, two days maybe. Our next quests include converting the Internet from Slovak to English and making a run to the nearby IKEA.

Thank you very much for your prayers. All of our bags miraculously made it no problem. At O'Hare, I was chatting with a man in the line for McDonalds who just so happened to be an exec for the chain, and, after hearing what we were doing, offered to pay for our lunch. God is so funny sometimes.

We will be sure to post photos once we get everything officially set up. It's strange being in my old apartment and old office, and I'm noticing how loud it echoes in here--I didn't do so much talking when I lived alone! It felt like home the moment I walked in, and that is a blessing from God.

Bon Voyage!

2009-01-07T03:45:00.002+01:00

The suitcases are zipped. Final American meals have been partaken of. Good-byes have been said. Mike has the passports. (Is any surprised?) And, oh yes, the nerves have set in.

We leave tomorrow morning from Omaha on a 10 a.m. flight. We'll stop through Chicago, then Dulles before leaving at 6 p.m. for Vienna. We'll arrive about nine hours later. That means when the TWR-Europe PR team picks us up from the airport with lots of hugs and greetings, it will be about 3 a.m. our time. Whew! I am so excited to see old friends and meet new ones.

Please pray for our travels. We'd appreciate your prayers for safety, health, and all of our luggage arriving with us. Pray I don't drive Mike up the airplane wall with questions like "Are you SURE you don't want to play cards?"

Can you believe it? The next time we post we will be residents of Bratislava, Slovakia. God is infinitely wise and good and we wouldn't be here without His blessings and the work He has done through your financial support and faithful prayers.

Thank you.

P.S. - Mike and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary yesterday. We had a wonderful stay in downtown Omaha, and I can't wait to post pictures. What a fun date! And what an incredible year. To many more....

The most wonderful time of the year...

2009-01-04T07:35:00.013+01:00

When God postponed our Europe departure from October to January, it seemed pretty arbitrary, to be completely honest. We knew God had a plan, but it all seemed like a strange technicality.
Why would God have us stay in the States just a few months longer? Oh, what wonderful wonderful things God had in store for us in the end of 2008. Just these last few weeks have been a whirlwind of blessings. Yet another lesson of God's gracious timing. It, of course, couldn't have worked out better.

On December 10th, Mike turned 25 years old! He's a quarter of a century, I like to remind him. I made him french toast, then we went bowling in Exton. It was pitiful, and we were sore and out of breath after two rounds. Check out that form--Mike kicked my tail! We finally got to use up gift cards to Morimoto, a fabulous Japanese restaurant in downtown Philly. It was one of the best meals I have had in my life!

A few days later, my sister, Angie, gave birth to Anabelle Evelynn Ferner. She and Jamin are proud parents, and Lily (2.5) is very excited about being a "big sis-toh." We were blessed to be able to visit them in the hospital and be in their home when they returned with the newest family member. (Mike is delighted to have that title overtaken.) A cooing baby sleeping on my chest was heaven, and I will cherish that until I return to hold her again!

Packing up and moving from our first apartment the weekend before Christmas was crazy! We were sad to say good-bye. I was so humbled by God's provision win a small caravan of people showed up to help us move our furniture and boxes into a storage unit. (Thanks Clemens', Wessners, and Collettos!) We truly loved that cozy apartment. The photo to the right is post-apartment packing, mid-suitcase packing, post-Heather getting hungry.

After a few days living with Mike's parents, we drove to Cedarville, OH to meet up with old college friends (Days, Reids, Cobbs, Jo, and Aimee) who happened to be in town for their own family holidays. We hadn't been together in a few years, and it was the overload of laughter, reminiscing, and goofiness that we hoped it would be. We visited all the old haunts--Colonials for my buffalo chicken sub, Youngs for cow patty ice cream, Mom and Dads for peanut butter milkshakes. (It's clear what I miss most abotu college!) Thanks to Aimee Auclair for the photos.

After a twelve-hour drive to Omaha, we took off again. New Year's Eve was spent with Brittany and Andrew Peterson in Kansas City, MO for a little night the boys had planned for us. We had a great dinner, checked out the Sound & Light district, then played games before ringing in the new year! It was the first of many times in the next year I'll be homesick for Eastern Standard Time. The ball-drop on re-run isn't the same...

My dear childhood friend Morgan Block married Christian Jarabe on January 3rd, and I was privileged to be a bridesmaid. It was very nice of them to throw a wonderful party where I could see all of my Omaha friends at once! Haha. Morgan was absolutely beautiful and the ceremony was lovely. I cannot believe the three of us are married women! Seems like just yesterday we were talking about boys in the Sonic parking lot. Although later we did upgrade to Starbucks....

Monday, January 5th, is our first wedding anniversary. I cannot believe it has already been a year. There is no way that what they say about the first year being the hardest is remotely true, because this year was ALL fun! From Boston to Peru to Nebraska to Ohio to West Chester, I love Mike so much more than I did one year ago.

It is impossible to believe we will be in Slovakia in just a few days. The other morning, Mike said "We'll be waking up in Slovakia in one week." Then it hit us: all this planning and chores and tearful good-byes are leading to this great adventure God has in store. We are anxious and stoked and humbled and excited.

Please keep us in your prayers as we travel this week. We fly out of Omaha Wednesday morning, then stop in Chicago and Washington before arriving in Vienna on January 8th.

Mailing address

2008-12-22T14:14:00.002+01:00

Our Bratislava mailing address, at which we will gladly accept any shipments of peanut butter:

TWR-CE

P.O. BOX 12

82000 Bratislava

Slovak Republic

Five minutes after we made our official to-do list...

2008-12-17T20:45:00.002+01:00

A bullet flew past my head as I saw a shadowy figure dart behind the corner.

Silence.

A whirl of movement again and a bullet bounced off the wall and landed at my feet.

This time, a snicker.

I flew from my hiding space and shot two bullets, one right after the other, right where I knew my enemy was waiting. Bang. Bang. I felt a thud in my chest. I hadn't been fast enough.

"I'm hit!" I cried, but popped out again for a face-to-face match.

"I'm out! I'm out!" Mike yelled, arms waving in surrender. I got another good hit in, then slumped to the floor. Mike joined me, our Nerf guns knocking together on the carpet.

"I think packing is going well so far, don't you?" Mike nodded. I smiled. Yes, indeed.

Keeping you posted...

2008-11-25T16:19:00.005+01:00

Hello!

We're trying to figure out the best way to keep people posted on our time in Slovakia with TWR, we realized we have NO idea who (if anyone!) reads our blog. If you do read this blog on a fairly regular basis, could you just leave a 'hello' or your favorite Slovakian phrase in the comment box? We'd love to know how you found our blog. Also, is this the best way to let you know what's happening?

Thanks,

Heather and Mike

Packing up Prayer

2008-11-25T16:07:00.004+01:00

I am a do-er. Are you? Do you feel most comfortable and productive when you're making lists and running errands and accomplishing the mental chores in your head? I do.

I am also confused. I am not exactly the most active person I know. Some (my husband) might even call me a tad bit lazy. I would much rather sit on the couch and stare out the window, thinking or writing, then do anything else. So why the need to constantly "do" and "accomplish"?

I'm realizing that I only feel the need to "do" and "accomplish" when it comes to spiritual things. They say, "If the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy." We're never tempted in the morning to skip brushing our teeth, but how often do we decide we're in too much of a rush to read God's Word? With moving, it's the same way. I have plenty of time to mark off the to-do list, but I find so many reasons not to read my Bible and listen to God. Before this phase of pre-TWR, there was little to do but pray and attempt patience. Now prayer is easily replaced with 1-800 calls to a variety of companies that need our address change, our final payments, etc.

We like measuring, don't we? It's nice to say, "Hey, I changed our cell phone plan and gave a move-out notice to our landlord today!" It's weird to say, "Hey, I prayed and sought patience and considered the aspects of my life that I need to further commit to God today!"

But what else is worth our time?

Going or Staying

2008-11-19T17:00:00.004+01:00

"You better finish that before we go," I warned. "There's no way we're packing it."

Mike looked up from his latest reading endeavor, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He squinted his eyes at me, insulted I would suggest it would take him so long to finish such a 'great book.' But he knows it is true. Of the new books he received last month as Christmas gifts from my family (don't ask), he chose to first read the hardbound, 749-page book over the small paperbacks.

That's how many of our thoughts are working these days. In the shower, I'm rationing my body wash. In the kitchen, I'm finally preparing cans of baked beans leftover from Mike's bachelor days. In the living room, we're wondering what to do with our beloved (and enormous) hamster, Pisco. I am starting to see everything in packable categories: frames, clothes, books, kitchen utensils, Goodwill, etc. But, first, everything must first fall into one of two categories: 'Going' or 'Staying.'

Mike and I explored those two categories ourselves for a while, first back in January when we were offered positions with TWR, and then again this fall when fundraising wasn't going as planned. 'Going' or 'staying'? I have told God several times this year, "Just tell us, God." (Okay, more than several times.) Each time, I am reminded of all the instances in my entire life where I've pleaded the exact same line over and over again. Each time, God waited patiently until I settled into simply trusting Him, and only then were plans revealed that were so much greater than I imagined. (See: overseas internship, husband, Cedarville, etc.)

Just this morning, sitting on my bed with my Bible, I was thinking about God's nudging to Michael and I to pursue ministry full-time. How? When? Where? Really?! I literally said outloud: "Just say it, God!" Have I learned anything? Maybe I have because, instead of kicking and screaming this time, I simply laughed and felt at peace; perhaps God hasn't said it when I wanted Him to, but He has never, ever failed to show me abundantly in His good and perfect plan.

God, I have a better idea....

2008-10-22T16:01:00.003+02:00

I am reading Hosea right now, thanks to the encouragement of one of the young men on our youth group retreat this past weekend. What a heartbreaking book. The consistency and intensity with which we turn from God is remarkable. God asks Hosea to marry a prostitute, knowing she will betray Hosea again and again with her worldly selfishness, passion for material objects, and willingness to act confidently for her own survival. God uses Hosea as a picture of his faithfulness to provide, even when we are boldly sinful enough to bite the very hand the feeds us, curse the voice that comforts us, and turn from the face that loves us.

Hosea's wife runs to her lovers for their wines and grains and blankets, but they are really gifts from God that she cannot comprehend. They are blessings of God that she turns into worldly acknowledgments of what she gives to her lovers. The very gifts God gives her, even in her sin, are what she uses to justify her depravity.

"She said, 'I will go to my after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my fool and my flex, my oil and my drink....For she does not know it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine and the oil, who lavished on her silver and gold , which they used for Baal." -Hoseas 2:5a, 8

I think we are this prostitute more often than we'd like to think; I know I am. We don't acknowledge where blessings came from. We see something come to us and immediately work out in our minds the actions we took to earn it through our work.

The last part of that verse gets me: "[God] lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal." God pours out beautiful things to me--not even things I need for survival, like bread, but silver and gold that I turn and use to serve other gods. How often do we take what we've earned at our jobs (you know, the jobs we work so hard at!) and take that financial blessings to serve other gods: materialism, selfishness, etc.?

This is not what I sat down to write. But it is what God placed on my heart this morning in my own life. ("Placed on my heart?" What does that even mean?) God is teaching me through a very stubborn wall I didn't even realize I'd built slowly over time.

How great is our God? Sing with me.

Well, we're packing our bags for Europe!

2008-10-15T16:00:00.002+02:00

We are currently at about 53 percent, but we've discussed things over with some people at TWR, and we think the best thing to do--in terms of timing in our lives, when their need is greatest, the economy right now, etc.--is to go ahead and go for as long as we can. Any money that comes in at this point will just mean that we get to stay and work in the ministry for that much longer. Right now, it looks like we'll be there at least five months. We're praying God gives us just enough money to keep us in Bratislava as long as He needs us there.

When we found out and I got to work the next morning, I sat down and started to brainstorm a to-do list. Okay, we'll need to do this right away and I need to call these people... I'd literally moved my Bible out of the way to start my list. God was like, Are you kidding me? Have you learned nothing?! Oh my. I dropped the list into the trash and bowed my head. My whole life has been about striving and doing and working with my hands, all while God is waiting for me to trust Him with absolutely no output from me. I cannot do anything without God, but, oh, how I try!

Please keep us in your prayers as we wait on God to bring us His perfect amount of fundraising. I cannot tell you all the instances of surprising generosity we've received from the most unexpected people. And our journey is just getting started!

--Heather

More Lessons Learned

2008-09-30T16:48:00.002+02:00

It had been a long day, and Mike and I trudged from the car towards our apartment building's door.

"You're welcome," Mike sputtered as he squeezed his way between the bushes. "I just cleared out some spider webs for ya." His hands waved dejectedly at nothing in the air.

"Thanks," I offered, my eyes squeezed shut to pretend all the moths and giant spiders weren't all around me. I'm really quite a pansy about such things.

He held the main door open for me and I leapt inside. I walked up the steps ahead of him while he got the mail from our box. Keyless at the security door, I waited; Mike handed me the mail as he passed. I flipped through it quickly and saw a letter I hadn't expected to come for weeks.

"It's our grant!" I said, breathless. A few weeks earlier, on a long shot, I applied for a missions grant online. Why not? I thought. I began ripping at the envelope furiously. I felt like I was a high school student waiting to hear from a top school. And, just like that, my eyes skimmed the letter to see "We regret to inform you..." Oh.

I sighed deeply, focusing with intent on keeping a good attitude. It's in your hands, God, I prayed half-heartedly. "We didn't get it," I told Mike. Upon another look at the letter, it sounded like the economy had hurt the organization significantly.

"It's okay," he said with a smile.

"I know," I said with no sincerity whatsoever. But, when I breathed again, I felt God's peace. "I know." And I did. We'd learned too much so far to get down about something like this.

The next envelope we opened was a handwritten note from a good family friend. And it was a very, very generous gift for our ministry. My breath caught.

See? God said. I've got you.

Follow Our Journey

2008-09-25T16:27:00.002+02:00

Hey everyone, we just added the "Followers" widget to our blog (look right!). Becoming a follower makes it even easier for you to stay up to date on everything that's happening. Thanks for your interest and support!

Mike & Heather

Okay, so I didn't initially join TWR for the holiest of reasons.

2008-09-24T15:32:00.007+02:00

Many of you know the story of how Mike and I finally got around to marrying each other. For those of you who don't know, here's a brief summary of our relationship after we met at Cedarville University the fall of my freshman and his junior year:

Boy meets girl.

Boy and girl become best friends.

Girl falls in love with boy.

Boy and secret-keeping girl remain best friends for two years.

Girl finally spills her love to boy.

Boy doesn't feel the same way.

Girl moves to Europe--naturally.

Boy misses girl a lot while she's gone.

Girl gets over boy, returns..

Boy falls in love with girl.

Girl not quite as over boy as Europe led her to believe.

I called Mom days after meeting him to announce I'd found the boy I was to marry. That, however, was not divine knowledge. That was freshman craziness. Eventually, though, as Mike and I spent our time together and God used us so strongly in each other's lives, I began to love him in such a way that I knew there was no one else God wanted me to love like this. I knew Mike didn't feel the same way, and oh! how it hurt; cue a very, very patient college roommate.

At a time in my life when I felt worthless and broken, God used Michael again and again to beat it into my head that I was worthy of God's love and someone else's. Little did we know, God was preparing us to love each other.

I know that seems foolish and pretty pathetic, but it was really a struggle between God and I. God, I know this is the man who have for me, but he doesn't feel the same way! Why are you messing with me?! I could not understand God's plan and why it involved so much pain on my part. My dear, dear roommate (who earned her bridesmaid spot with blood and sweat) often sang to me the song I've written out below.

Mike graduated from Cedarville, and I was transferring to Rutgers University in Philadelphia. I'd finally confessed to Mike that I'd been in love with him for some time, and he was speechless. (Before you think Mike should've seen this coming, I must admit I'd misled him on the true nature of my feelings in the past and, God bless him, he believed me.) We agreed to remain friends and parted ways. When the chance came up that summer for a semester-long internship with TWR in Slovakia, I jumped at it. Yes, it would look great on a resume and, yes, it would be a great chance to serve God. But, I gotta be honest; I had one thing in mind: getting over Mike.

I know that seems like a goofy story to write on our TWR blog, and I don't think I will ever be able to fully explain what this taught me about the character of God. Through all my fist-shaking and crying and praying and listening and frustration, God remained faithful and understanding. He didn't shout Would you just hold ON a second?! It will work out! He said, I know this hurts. Just wait, though. I have your best interests in my heart. I can only imagined God burst out laughing when Mike first prayed, God, what the heck? I think I might be in love with Heather Wenzel.

Here's the thing: it would have been a disaster if Mike and I had come together outside of God's timing. We had so much growing to do separately. I can't imagine I'd take off to Europe if we were dating, and the thought of missing out on that experience is ridiculous. Not only did I grow immeasurably in Christ and figure out who I am in Him, I never would have been bitten by the missionary bug, and Mike and I would not be returning now to serve. God knew everything would come together in His timing, and the intensity of that lesson will make that characteristic of God a strong part of my relationship with Him because he knows what I'll need to know about Him as we go through life. God did not fully give me my desires until I had fully given over that desire to him, and, yes, that took a trip to Europe.

Last night, Mike kissed me and suddenly said: "I just had a flashback to our first kiss." I scowled and tried to look as hurt as possible, but it's a running joke between us that our first kiss wasn't so great. (Hello?! I was finally kissing Mike Colletto! I was terrified!) Mike laughed. "No, no, not like that. It's just-- I don't know. It's just that everything had finally changed." I wanted to cry right then, because God used that as a reminder: His perfect, perfect plan must happen in His timing, and we'll be blown away by how beautiful it will be.

Here's a song by Nicole Nordeman that I pretty much had on repeat for a year or so. It was one of many that were used to bring patience and peace to my heart. I'm using it now to calm my anxiety about God's plans for us with TWR, and I hope you find it as an encouragement. I have a feeling I'm going to need this song a lot as a reminder in the coming, oh, decades...

The pathway is broken, and the signs are unclear.

I don't know the reason why you brought me here.

But just because you love me the way that you do,

I'm gonna walk through the valley if you want me to.

I'm not who I was when I took my first step,

and I'm clinging to the promise you're not through with me yet.

So, if all of these trials bring me closer to you,

then I will go through the fire if you want me to.

It may not be the way I would've chosen when you lead me through a world that's not home.

But, you never said it would be easy.

You only said I'd never go alone.

So, when the whole world turns against me, and I'm all by myself,

and I can't hear you answer my cries for help,

I'll remember the suffering your love put you through,

and I will go through the valley if you want me to.

Reaching the World for Christ

2008-09-16T23:41:00.015+02:00

There are countless ministry opportunities and organizations in the world today.

So, why Trans World Radio? There are a number of answers to that question. The first is largely providential: Heather was exposed to the ministry through personal connections, pursued and landed a short internship, and fell in love. So, when we were dating/engaged and talking about our mutual desire to serve God and our openness to overseas -- even full-time, vocational -- ministry, TWR came up often. Since Heather had already worked with them and had that personal connection, we applied for a short-term ministry position. God flung the door wide open -- the PR department in Europe (where Heather had worked before) was in need of people with exactly our skills. We were delighted to accept the offer to join their ministry and began fundraising for a 10-month stay. (Note from Heather: They were excited to hear I wanted to come back, but when they saw Mike's resume, it was all about him! Hmph! :-) )

The second answer to that question is tied to the first: God opened the door. He could have closed it.

The third and final answer is that we believe that what Trans World Radio is doing is good, effective, and important to the spread of the gospel and building of the church.

How is this the best use of missions dollar?

Okay, we can't presume to tell you what is the best use, but we're pretty darn sure TWR is one of the most efficient ministries out there, and, if you're looking to make your dollar go as far as possible, this is a great ministry. This is how giving to TWR works.

When I (Heather) went to work with Trans World Radio in the fall of 2006 for a semester, the total cost of my trip (travel, rent, etc.) that I needed to raise was roughly $5,000. With that $5,000, I was able to work daily on writing grants for radio programs that needed funding to be created or to be expanded to meet a need in a new language or new country. Some of the projects I wrote grants for were small, some were very large, and some were confidential--I loved them all. I traveled to learn about different parts of the ministry, I met with partners, or investors, in different countries to share about a new program, I met TWR directors who had traveled to our office from their homeland for the sole purpose of reaching their people for God.

By my friends and family investing $5,000, I was able to write far past $1,000,000 in grants--all by the work God did through the skills He'd chosen to give me. That means millions of more unreached people hearing about God when a new program is launched in a new language and listeners--who often only have TWR as a church--being fed more each week with extended programming. Furthermore, that $5,000 was used to hook me into the ministry and serving in missions; here we are, two years later, trying to get back over there!

Why Slovakia?

Trans World Radio has office all over the world. The organization is divided into five major sub-regions, such as TWR-Asia, TWR-Americas, etc. The headquarters of TWR-Europe is located just outside of Vienna, Austria in an adorable town nicknamed P-Dorf. An hour's train ride away is TWR's office in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The Public Relations Department of TWR-Europe is spread between these two offices.

Why is the Public Relations Department so important to TWR?

The production and broadcasting of radio programs cost money. For TWR to produce in more languages, build satellites outside of closed countries, increase broadcast time, etc., fund development is required, and that's where the PR department comes in. Each region of TWR has its own PR department, and Europe's is one of the largest.

The PR Department is responsible for great projects like the short-film series, Epic Stories, which were filmed by traveling worldwide to tell individual stories of those whose lives have been changed by God's message heard through Trans World Radio.

The Epic Story, Youth in the Middle East, tells about an Internet program that is encouraging the youth of a culture where, even in church, personal struggles are simply not discussed. In this region, more than 50 percent of the population is under the age of 25, and the population as a whole is expected in double in the next two decades. An entire generation is decided you they want to be, what they want to believe, and how they're going to impact their world. After showing this video at our church, a woman came up and explained that her son was about to ship off to Iraq. "I can't help but think," she said, "that, if these kids hear this message, they'll pick up a Bible instead of a gun."

Our Upcoming Support Letter -- You Saw It Here First!

2008-09-04T03:14:00.001+02:00

Hello friends and family!

We want to give you an update on God’s plans for our service with Trans World Radio. As you know, our original plan was to leave this October for a ten-month stay in Bratislava, Slovakia. But recently, God’s been making it clear He has a different departure date in mind. We have to laugh — each time we think we’ve got the “trust God’s timing” lesson figured out, we’re challenged again. We have a feeling this lesson takes a lifetime to learn!

To be honest, it was initially difficult to consider not leaving in October. We knew everything was in God’s careful hands, but we still didn’t understand the why. As always, God provided the assurance we needed. When we were nervous about facing the increased cost of rent when our lease ends in October, God more than covered the need by providing Heather with two additional jobs that fit perfectly into our schedule. When we were confused about why we couldn’t leave when we’d planned, God showed us what He had in store for us here — a youth group retreat (we’ve been blessed to help with the youth group at Calvary Chapel), two weddings of dear childhood friends, and the birth of a new niece or nephew!

We’ve been given 43% percent of the $36,822 needed for our ten months with TWR. We cannot tell you how encouraging it is to hear about family and friends who have committed to partner with us in this way. If we can double our support and bring it to 80 percent by the end of November, we’ll be on target to leave for Slovakia on January 7th, 2008. (How does that sound for a first anniversary celebration?) Put simply, that means we need roughly $15,000 by November 30th. If you haven’t already, please consider partnering with our ministry and Trans World Radio’s by giving financially.

Your support sends us to work with the Public Relations department, whose primary goal is to increase funding for existing and future radio programs that proclaim the Gospel in over 160 countries and 225 languages and dialects. As we seek to be God’s hands and feet in the PR department, your money will directly result in more funds for programming, which means more people hearing the message of Jesus Christ. To give by credit card, visit www.twr.org/support/give_now and click ‘Support a Missionary.” To give by check, make it out to “Trans World Radio” and send it to our address below.

For the most up-to-date information, check out our blog at hmcolletto.blogspot.com or join our Facebook group, “Heather and Mike Colletto go to Slovakia!” If you’d like to learn more about Trans World Radio, please visit TWR’s great new website: www.twr.org.

We cannot thank you enough for your prayers and support. The information in this letter — God’s provision, our lessons, the people we’re meeting — are all results of your prayers. Please keep us in mind as we seek to wait patiently on God and His timing.

In Christ,

Michael & Heather Colletto

God's Sense of Humor

2008-08-25T15:27:00.004+02:00

God put it on our hearts that there was something we could be sacrificing for our upcoming ministry with Trans World Radio. We wanted to find a way to put forward a significant amount of our own money towards our funds, and we weren't exactly sure what God had in mind.

With our apartment lease up in October (our original TWR departure date), we thought maybe God wanted us to move elsewhere. We thought that it might be a good idea to find a place to stay where we could serve someone while taking what would have been our rent and putting it towards our TWR support. We put out an ad on Craigslist, we sent the word out on the church prayer list. Was there anyone who needed our service in exchange for housing?

Through a series of events, it looked like something might work--a nannying position in West Chester. I spoke with the mom, Sue, through e-mail and on the phone, explaining our situation and everything else about ourselves that I could think of. She had originally only been looking for a part-time nanny, but now we were both thinking... It all sounded so perfect, so I waited to hear back from her after she spoke with her husband; she'd write that night, she said.

I waited impatiently for her e-mailed answer. I felt like everything was weighted on that. "I just really want an e-mail from Sue!" I kept saying, checking my e-mail for the millionth time. Josh Cobb was with me that day, and he can attest to how often I said, "Sue, write me an e-mail!" and "I want an e-mail from Sue!" I just knew things would start getting worked out as soon as we had an answer from Sue.

An e-mail from Sue did come, but it was not the Sue I was expecting. You see, when Mike and I spoke at his church on Missions Night, we ended up going home a bit disappointed. Besides his family, only one or two people even stopped at our table. Thankfully, one woman who did really touched me, and her excitement about our ministry came right back at me. Her name was Sue.

So, the millionth time I checked my e-mail for an e-mail from Sue, this is [an excerpt of] what was waiting:

"...Your mission speaks to me and my husband. We are willing to help in any way that we can. We are both spreading the word of your mission to our families in hopes that we can recruit some more help for you. I know that waiting for God to make His plans known can be frustrating. I pray that you and Michael will stay strong and continue on your journey....

God bless, Sue"

I was floored and painfully humbled. I kept whining to God all day that I needed an e-mail from Sue so that we could move forward with plans. I was and am so human, so narrow-minded, so bent on doing things in a tangible way. He could not have been more clear in his answer. In fact, the Sue from our church just went ahead and typed things out for God. I cannot tell you how strongly used Sue (the unexpected Sue!) in my life that night. As I wringed my human hands to try to work things out logically, God was trying to tell me (oh-so ironically) that He was with us, working things out for good, and asking us to be patient.

As it turned out, instead of providing us with housing, God provided two extra (and wonderful!) nannying jobs for us that will more than cover the money we were hoping to save by moving out; yes, one is with the Sue I spoke with originally. Plus we get to stay in the apartment we love so dearly. PLUS, the relationships I already have with the moms and the girls have been so blessed, and we've gotten to share our heart for Christ already.

Thanks to Malvern Bible Chapel!

2008-08-18T03:30:00.003+02:00

We'd like to give a special thank you to Malvern Bible Chapel for hosting us this morning. We had a wonderful time and were so encouraged with your questions, thoughts, and interest in Trans World Radio's ministry--not to mention the great coffee! Thank you so much for having us and making us feel so welcome. Hopefully you'll find a lot of helpful information on this page, but please feel free to contact us at hmcolletto@gmail.com.

--heather and mike

TWR Has a New Website!

2008-08-08T14:18:00.003+02:00

We are very pleased with TWR's new website. They've obviously worked very hard on it, and it's truly paid off. We encourage you to poke around a bit. That being said, a few of their links have changed — for the better!

For information on giving, please click here.

To give directly with your credit card, please click here.

If you would like to send a check, please make it out to Trans World Radio and send it to our home address. (Please e-mail us for our mailing address at hmcolletto@gmail.com.) We will pass it along with an accompanying tax-deductible form; you will then received a receipt in the mail from TWR.

Rifles, Fish, and Leases

2008-07-30T15:36:00.012+02:00

Hello all!

This past weekend, Mike and I flew down to Tennessee to meet up with most of my immediate family so that we could spend some time with my granddaddy and our cousins. We don't make it down to the area very often, so it is always a treat when we get to go. My granddaddy has a pond across the street from his home that we've grown up fishing on, and it was so special to have Mike there this time! Coca-Cola in a glass bottle could not taste better than on a dock with worm guts beneath my nails. (And, yes, that's as outdoorsy as I get!)

The only thing we catch on the pond is bluegill brim, which is usually smaller than your hand. Maybe a small-mouth bass will show up. This has been the case for years. It's mostly about bumming around with Granddaddy, letting him bait our hooks when the fish sneak ours away and, this time around, it became about a slightly different hobby to the boys:

"Fishing is much easier with guns," they insisted. Their intimidation factor is lowered by the flip-flops and Prada sunglasses. Only one turtle died in the making of this photo. (L to R: Mike; Jamin, our brother-in-law; David, my brother).

I was sitting on the little dock, minding my own business with my Coke and fishing pole, and Mike wanted to snap a few photos. Cute, right?

The next photo was this, as Mike lunges to the pole next to me that has been resting there all day, waiting for a bottom-feeder bite. Yeah right. "How will I know when it's ready?" I asked Granddaddy. "You'll know," he said. Just as Mike was snapping the photo, he "knew" and lunged for the pole.

This is what Mike caught!!! A two-foot catfish! All of the Tennessee family was very impressed with my new husband. Mike still has some catfish bites on his thumb (no joke), but I know he secretly loves it.

We are currently at 34 percent and pressing on! It seems that God's plans might not have been October, and we're trusting Him to send us the very day He needs us to go.

Right now, there are a lot of uncertainties hanging around our heads. Our apartment lease is up in October, and we're unsure of our living situation after that time; our rent would increase a significant amount if we were to stay on a month-to-month basis (plus, the price went up in general), and we're praying that God will show us the next step.

When I was moving to south Jersey after my time with TWR, I was searching for apartments on the internet all the way from Slovakia. I found one, my brother and sister went to check it out, and God gave me an apartment that was absolutely beyond my wildest imagination! It was right on the main street of the uppity town of Haddonfield, walking distance to the train I took to work and school. It was such a blessing, and I took it to heart when a friend saw the apartment and, seeing how perfect for me it was, said "Heather, God is pursuing your heart!" I know He will be faithful to continue to do so with Michael and me.

We've made a commitment to ourselves to really keep this blog moving and interesting. Be sure to check back soon!

Let it All Out

2008-07-22T15:25:00.005+02:00

I feel like God is about to teach us something big, and I'm so excited. I realize I get the most defeated-feeling when I get the most excited about what God has waiting for us with Trans World Radio. It seems so logical that, of course, that is exactly when Satan would want us to feel hopeless — just when we feel the anticipation of following God overseas.

This song got me through years of hurt and pain; I honestly don't know what I would have done without it. Oh, how true it is. (See: my wonderful, dear, dear husband who God made me wait for). This is just a small part of a great Relient K song called "Let It All Out":

"Today I'll trust you with the confidence of a man who's never known defeat, but, tomorrow, upon hearing what I did, I will stare at you in disbelief. Oh, inconsistent me crying out for consistency. You said, 'I know that this will hurt, but if I don't break your heart, then things will just get worse. If the burden seems too much to bear, remember the end will justify the pain it took to get us there.' ... You know you touched my life when you touched my heavy heart and made it new."

I hope that encourages you today like it has me. I don't really know if anyone reads this at all, but I'm throwing it out there anyway.

Ha! The next song (by Johnny Diaz) that plays as I type this begins:

"I always like grass to be green, but I just can't take the rain sometimes."

How true. God, grant us patience and understanding through things we can't see.

The Surprises God Has for Us

2008-07-21T20:55:00.005+02:00

Hello all,

Well, we've experienced a bit of a change in our fundraising status. We thought we were at 41 percent, but, as it turns out, we're currently at 29 percent. It was a minor administrative error due to my previous time (and different name) with TWR, but it's all worked out now.

Of course, at first we were confused and pretty bummed. It seemed like such a bizarre thing. Why did God need to make that happen? We were so happy and praising him for a high percentage, never mind all the letters we sent out with the news. Frankly, we felt a little silly.

I've been thinking a lot lately, "You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, 'Lord, blessed be your name.'" It's an older worship song that (shameful that I don't know!) I think came from a Psalm. That song used to leave me in fear. It got me really nervous thinking about God choosing the things in my life that he can take away from me. It made me feel small and helpless.

I've been reading "Come Away, My Beloved," a book Brittany Walters (now Peterson) gave to me on my birthday during a tearful good-bye as she began her new married life elsewhere. It has simply been singing to me ever since. It's basically letters from God, and each day it's like the book knows exactly what you need to hear. God is teaching me that these trials are an honor. What would we learn if we didn't need to fundraise? If the money simply poured in? There'd be very little prayer and no lessons learned. We'd say "God is good!" but we wouldn't have truly experienced it. We want to experience it.

Right now, we're wondering what God's plan is. We're a little torn in our human, finite understanding. The way we see it, either:

1. Our original plan of leaving in October was God's, and He's telling us that, yes, even financial miracles at the last-minute are possible. "Stop using human reasoning and math (oh, how we'd like to!) and simply trust Me to get you on that plane in October."

2. Our plans are not God's plans, and the October departure date was simply a human goal based on our understanding of where we thought God wanted us and when. Maybe God is telling us, "Wait. I will send you exactly when you need to go. It's not your plans, but mine. Wait for my departure date."

Mike and I keep saying, "Either one is fine, God! Just tell us!" Oh, how slowly we learn. :-) Just when we think we've got a lesson learned, right?

41 Percent!!

2008-06-19T22:46:00.002+02:00

We have raised 41 percent of our support! Praise God. Just when we were starting to really feel overwhelmed and discouraged, God provided — as always. We're getting ready to send out some more letters, so please let us know if you're not on our mailing list and would like to be.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Heather and Mike

What the Storm Taught Me

2008-06-13T23:11:00.003+02:00

Some time ago, I fell ill, and I missed work and school. I moped on the couch all day, wallowing in my misery. One of those nights, Mike came home from work, made himself dinner, and was preparing for his first post-wedding boys'-night with his dad and brother.

"It's fine," I moaned. "Just go. I'll be fine."

"You sure?" he smiled.

"Yes, of course. I love you."

And he walked out the door! What?! Clearly, my words were a cry for help, a desperate attempt for him to read my mind and volunteer to stay and take care of his ailing young wife. He did not read my mind, and, in this apartment, that is unforgivable.

Two nights ago, I was feeling a bit bummed. I'd dropped Mom off at the airport that morning, and I missed her already. The only thing that cheered me was getting some veg-out time with Mike. When he got home, I started to brainstorm some plans, but he reminded me that he had plans (which he'd told me days before and the night before) to go see a movie with his dad and brother.

Well, I've been in a fragile state lately for no good reason, and I started to cry. How could he leave me in my (apparent) hour of need? What terrible timing! Why didn't I remember that he was going out so I could have spent the whole day feeling sorry for myself instead of being so suddenly devastated? (See? Fragile.)

I plop onto the couch to plot my solo plans for the evening. Suddenly, the sky is black. The wind is screaming. Begrudgingly, I go out to the car to roll up my cracked windows. I skip out in some flip-flops and stand outside near our door as I watched the clouds roll in. I can hear the rain approaching, and, suddenly, I'm younger and standing on our porch in Nebraska, holding our cat that I've oh-so valiantly saved from the outdoors, feeling the hot wind and watching the tree turn brighter against the darkening sky.

Back inside, the power blows. There is a fury of wind outside now, and I'm desperately searching for the new ("genius!" I'd told myself) spot of the matches. A few toe-stubs later, candles are lit, and I wait for the lights to return.

The lights did not return. Mike, who'd only experienced the storm as a nice sound effect in his movie, came home to find me sitting next to a group of candles, reading a magazine with squinted eyes.

"Hey," he said sheepishly.

Our entire apartment is electric, which means no air conditioning in the week of record-breaking heat, no hot water for oatmeal, no wireless, no cell service, no hot water for showers, and certainly no fridge or freezer. Mike went to bed that night so hot that he tried sleeping on the bathroom tile and sprawled in the bedroom floor before creepily dragging himself from the floor to the bed, horror movie style, in the early morning hours.

I didn't sleep that night either, but not for the heat. I couldn't stop thinking about our food. Our fridge is usually lacking, but Mom had just visited, and I didn't want her to think that we're starving, so I packed it with all the wonderful dishes I was going to make her. There it all sat, warming away. We had so much money sitting in our fridge, wasting away.

I thought of the apricot preserves purchase I'd indulged in, the first whole gallon of milk we'd bought, the Omaha Steaks order in the freezer. I tried to console myself with the fact that some people don't have ANY food, but that just made the waste seem so much worse. I had bad dreams about food, and it wasn't helped when I opened my eyes to the aforementioned creepy crawl of 4 AM Mike.

The next morning, an exhausted Mike had a plan for the shower that was sure to be freezing.

"Okay, we'll scrub with soap outside the shower, then hop in and rinse off," he said conspiratorially. It didn't sound like a good idea to me. "Come on," he said. So we soaped away, and the cold loofah made me more miserable than I'd just been.

"It's not foaming," I spat, scrubbing until my thighs turned bright red.

"Okay, go go go!" Mike cried, and he cranked the shower on and in we went, laughing.

The water was hot. It was burning almost. The hot water from the evening before hadn't cooled, and it was the best (ten-second) shower I'd ever had. When we cracked open the freezer, everything was still rock-solid. We packed it in a cooler to take to his parents house. On the way, we stopped at Wawa to grab breakfast. We mulled over breakfast sandwiches and donuts and hugged good-bye as we went our separate ways for the day.

We felt like such a team, and it was a wonderful thing to come out of it. (So is the renter's insurance check we're getting for our spoiled food! Thanks, USAA!) The power came on a few minutes before I got home from work.

When I was laying awake that night, I watched what was left of the storm outside my window. I'd ran my fingernails lightly over Mike's back and blown through pressed teeth, up and down, hoping to cool him off. Somehow, it made me miss a world where heaven was winning a coin flip with David and being the first to lay my toasted self on Mom and Dad's bed so Mom could gently put aloe vera on my back as she blew lightly up and down my spine. I missed listening to the storms from my bed, watching Oliver opens his eyes lazily each time thunder cracked; his casual attitude relaxed me, even in my later high school years.

Mostly, I thought about the storms of my life, the ones I find myself in now. Mike said before falling asleep that some author talks about how scary and humbling storms were before technology, how close to God they must have made people feel.

"Thunder," he said, "must have seemed like the voice of God."

Today, we're constantly predicting storms. We can see them coming on the radar, and broadcasters in suits tell us when to bring an umbrella. They tell us of the storm and its patterns: winds, lulls, lightning, thunder, intensity and length. Still, when we're in the midst of those ingredients — the blinding rain, the roaring wind, and the crackling thunder — all those facts and predictions don't matter much, do they?

I'm trying to remind myself of this as we face a seeming insurmountable task of fundraising. We knew it would be difficult, but suddenly we're feeling a bit lost, desperately trying to see the challenge at hand through the powerful eyes of our God who sees no impossibilities. We're in the storm, and I feel like I can't find my umbrella. I've been thinking about James 1, and how wisdom comes in abundance to those who ask in righteousness, and I'm comforted.

Head knowledge doesn't count, so trust Me, God says. without restrictions. Because, you know what, the weathermen always gets it wrong anyway.

Ten Percent!

2008-05-28T20:18:00.004+02:00

Hello all!

We've officially reached a small milestone in our support goal! With combined one-time donations and monthly support, we've made it to the 10 percent mark.

Mike and I have been talking a lot lately about the various ways God is teaching us lessons as we wait patiently on Him. We've been encouraged by such random stories and people lately. Just the other day, Mike's mom, Patty, was bold enough to speak to a woman at a Sally's Beauty Supply, a place next door to where she kept one of her Mary Kay info boxes. The woman ended up signing on to be a Mary Kay consultant under Patty, which has been a big prayer request of hers lately. Mike spoke with our brother-in-law, Chris, about our fundraising, and Chris related immediately with his new job -- sometimes you think "Wow, this is it! God is so good!" but other times you're wondering where God is. Just the other day, I was running an errand for my assistant job and ended up meeting a man whose sister is the editor of several trade magazines in Philadelphia -- he offered to pass along my resume! God is constantly reminding us to find Him in the unexpected, and it has been a big challenge for us lately to resist putting God in a timeline or box. Mike reminded me yesterday that the Psalms are filled with David praising God for his faithfulness, then wondering why God left him, only to discover again how God's plans all work for our good. "If God was working like that then," Mike said, "you know it's no different now!" I am humbled to think that David, a man after God's own heart, could be experiencing the same emotions we are.

April was a month full of fundraising, and, this month, I graduated college and Mike finished working with Starbucks. Now we're ready for summertime! Hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend.

Heather

The Plans God Had for One Little Radio...

2008-05-12T21:39:00.005+02:00

In Communist Ukraine, the government equipped every home with a radio so everyone could hear the values and influences of the Communist party. Christians were caught in a bind, to say the least. How could they allow such anti-Christian propaganda into their homes? Still, it was a government mandate, and there were significant risks involved in arguing.

One woman approached her pastor to ask what they should do about these radios. Her pastor told her not to worry. "One day," he said, "the word of God will be broadcast through these radios." We've all been there before. "Sure, sure..."

Today, Ukraine is struggling to establish itself in a post-Communist society. Like many similar countries, the problem of HIV/AIDS (particularly through drug use) is damaging a generation. TWR hopes to bring in funding to create medical programs and drug rehabilitation programs to those that suffer.

The woman that approached her pastor? Her grandson, Olexander Chmut, is Director of TWR-Ukraine, and his programs are broadcast through this very radio and all over the country — programs to encourage developing churches and their leaders, programs to teach children Bible stories, programs to strengthen women. This is Olexander and his family...

Hear Olexander's story at TWR.org.

Here, There, Everywhere

2008-05-01T15:35:00.006+02:00

Hello!

Above is a photo my sister-in-law, Amy Wenzel (amywenzel.com) took of Bratislava, Slovakia. I stared at this thing endlessly before I left back in the fall of '06. See all that snow on the ground? I was lucky enough to catch the warmest fall they'd had in years, but I know Eastern Europe will challenge us with its winter!!

It was wonderful to meet everyone last night at Calvary Chapel. We appreciate everyone coming out to get a glimpse at the many ways God is working all over the world--from concerts in Russia to dancing in Croatia to meals in Africa. Like Mike said, it is overwhelming to see the need out in just our area, much less the entire world. I was so pleased to see the creative ways God is sending His people. Mike and I leave those events so fired up--"Did you meet so-and-so?" "Oh, I met this great woman and she said...." "Didn't you enjoy...?" Thanks for that, Calvary Chapel!

If any of you would like to see the entire video (about ten minutes long) about Ala's Diary, the new TWR youth program in the Middle East we shared a bit about last night, that video and several other Epic Stories are available for viewing online. Check them out!

Well, I'm off to my last day of college classes! :-) If you missed getting any information from us, send us an e-mail or leave a comment and let us know. We'd love to hear from you.

Heather

Missions Night in Exton, PA April 30th

2008-04-21T20:46:00.001+02:00

Hello!

We'll be at Calvary Chapel Chester Springs on April 30th for Missions Night. It begins at 7 PM, and we'll have some time to talk about our future work with TWR. For directions to the church, please visit cc-chestersprings.com. Hope to see you there!

Heather and Mike

The Questions We're Guessing you Want to Ask...

2008-04-15T19:46:00.000+02:00

What exactly will you be doing overseas?

We will both be working on TWR's tight-knit Public Relations Department. Michael will be an PR strategist, and I will be an internal communications journalist. Mike's job will include a lot of brainstorming and initiation of projects that will raise awareness about TWR and open doors for potential missionaries and supporters. I'll be working on global prayer initiatives, writing grants for direct fundraising, contributing to the staff/supporter newsletter, etc.

Interesting fact: Our boss is Barb Shantz, who is from Canada, who was the maid of honor and vice versa in Marilyn Amstutz' wedding; her daughter, Melissa Amstutz, was MY bridesmaid! Small world, huh?

How does that impact the radio programs? What exactly does TWR's Public Relations Department do?

Without the work God is doing through TWR's Public Relations department, continued and new programming would be practically impossible. TWR is full of broadcasters, writers, producers, technicians, etc. But for those radio programs to be recorded in studios, professional translated, and broadcast over the waves, it takes a lot of money!

The PR department is the primary tool of fundraising to keep these programs going. They travel to potential donors all over the world, and teach other regions of TWR to learn how to fundraise themselves.

What is my donation going to be used for?

When you give money to Michael and I through TWR, it goes in a fund for us. While we're overseas, that money will be used to cover our plane ticket, our apartment rent, our health insurance, etc. As a non-profit organization, TWR needs your help to "pay" its staff members.

You might be wondering what paying for our rent has to do with contributing to missions. :-) Without the funding from our financial supporters, we would not be able to work with TWR. The PR Department is significant, but you can imagine there is more work than workers. Right now, there is a significant need in the PR department for workers, and God has opened positions with job descriptions that 'just so happen' to be what Michael and I have the skills and experience to fit into. TWR is looking for younger workers to impact a new generation of listeners and supporters that want to change the world for Christ; we hope to help them with that.

What other ways can I get involved?

1. Our biggest need is prayer.... We will keep this blog posted with needs. We will NOT be able to go without prayer support; the money simply will not come in. It took a lot of prayer to get us to where we are right now, and we know that a constant reliance on God is going to have to be a priority.

2. Financial Support....Right now, $37,000 seems insurmountable, but we know that God wants to use us, and we're having to patiently wait for the answer to how that is going to happen. Honestly, whenever I think about how much we have to raise, I feel panicked. How will all that money come in? Oh, I didn't explain TWR right to that person. What will we do if we can't raise enough? It goes on, as you can imagine!

3. Interested in short term missions?... Check out twr.org/makingwaves. It's a very short film for just-graduation college students or even high school students that reveals the variety of ways to get involved. Be a graphic designer in Asia. Be a broadcaster in Holland. Be an administrative assistant in Africa. The possibilities are endless.

4. Spread the word... Please feel free to pass along our information or blog to anyone you think might be interested. We're realizing we only know so many people, and it is going to take the help of our friends and family to get the word out about Trans World Radio.

Please e-mail us at hmcolletto@gmail.com. Drop us a note in the comment box! Let us know what information we can give you. If you're interested in monthly e-mail updates, send us your address. We want to be as accessible to you as possible.

God bless,

Heather and Mike