Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Leipzig Trip - July 29
Gute nacht! I would say that in Czech but I would have no idea how to do so. It has been a very long day here in Prague, but I mean that in the best way possible. All those people who call this place the most beautiful city in the world have a great point; all those who disagree have never been here. We started our day this morning by seeing possibly the prettiest and most worthwhile sites in the entire city of Prague: its castle and cathedral. After our breakfast, we got on the bus with our two Czech tour guides and headed up the hill to the castle which, as we were told, used to be an entire city by itself. The beautiful buildings actually form a complex of palaces, gardens, courtyards, and countless works of art known as the Prague castle. Half now in use as the offices of the President of the Czech Republic, the complex is also beautifully preserved for exhibition to the public. The most fascinating building in the castle, and the one that occupied most of our time, was Prague’s cathedral. This absolutely beautiful building (parts of which were built in the 14th century and others in the 20th) is the third largest cathedral in the world. Not in the Czech Republic or Eastern Europe, the world. Containing breathtaking architecture, priceless works of art, and the tombs of Kings, Emperors, and Saints (including Saint Wenceslas, of Christmas Carol fame), the Cathedral left all of us speechless. Or nearly so. After being informed by our guide of several choirs singing in this beautiful house of God, the group proposed and performed an impromptu concert in the cathedral, albeit without a method of attaining the proper key. The notes were not perfect; our placement in the Transcept made things a little awkward, but the experience of singing in that place was like no other I can remember or imagine. There are moments in life that take your breath away, when we manage to find a moment to empty our minds and let God fill the space. For me, at least, this was one of those moments.
In a wonderful turn of events, however, this was not my only moment of astounding closeness to God today. After a quick change back at the hotel and a somewhat awkward lunch on the Old Town Square we had the opportunity and blessing to sing in St. Nicholas Church, a 17th Century building that, at perhaps less than a third the size of the great cathedral, still managed to leave me in awe. The crowd that gathered for our concert (surprisingly large, perhaps due to the surprise fliers that were passed out on the square) was more than appreciative of our program. Several spoke to me afterwards, usually in broken English, but the tears rolling down several cheeks spoke more clearly to me about what we had done than even the best articulated conversation of thanks. Even during the concert (I promise this didn’t distract me, Clark) I had another moment of breathtaking closeness to God. The acoustics of the room caught the sound of our singing like few venues I have ever heard, and the sound of our music glancing upward off of the magnificent frescoes of saints and angels, as if carrying our voices and our praises directly to God, honestly left me near tears, even while trying to make it through “Sometimes I Hear God’s Music.” These are the moments, I think, that make the difficulties faith presents us with worthwhile; these fleeting times when we see the Almighty with startling clarity, the moments so beautiful that we are left on the verge of tears in the presence of God. I had two today, and I count myself blessed and hope that my peers can say something similar.
There was, of course, plenty of time for fun in the midst of our busy day. For me this included a wonderful dinner at KFC (with free refills!), a trip to the Franz Kafka museum (don’t ask), several hours perusing the narrow cobblestone streets of Prague and the countless souvenir stores and, coolest of all, a river cruise through the city courtesy of our friendly neighborhood ministers. The cruise gave us all a new view of the city, including a view of the Presidential residence and a giant metronome, as well as a much-needed opportunity to take a moment to sit down, slow down, and relax. Altogether, I have been going nonstop for the past 17 hours, have sung in two of the prettiest churches I can imagine, walked I don’t know how many Kilometers, asked myself how many Dollars this costs (converting from Crowns for now) countless times, and had two beautifully near-to-God experiences, all in the most beautiful city in the world. So, like I said, it’s been a long day (again, in the best possible way). I know I’ve written too much already, but on a quick personal note: Mom and Dad, we are in Prague alive, and I love and miss you. Mom, I apologize for all the grammatical errors and overly-used commas in the above. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and thoughts, please continue through the rest of our journey, including the BWS Youth Conference beginning tomorrow. Until I see you all to thank you in person, Auf Wiedersehen (again, not in Czech).
Jamie Gorsuch
In a wonderful turn of events, however, this was not my only moment of astounding closeness to God today. After a quick change back at the hotel and a somewhat awkward lunch on the Old Town Square we had the opportunity and blessing to sing in St. Nicholas Church, a 17th Century building that, at perhaps less than a third the size of the great cathedral, still managed to leave me in awe. The crowd that gathered for our concert (surprisingly large, perhaps due to the surprise fliers that were passed out on the square) was more than appreciative of our program. Several spoke to me afterwards, usually in broken English, but the tears rolling down several cheeks spoke more clearly to me about what we had done than even the best articulated conversation of thanks. Even during the concert (I promise this didn’t distract me, Clark) I had another moment of breathtaking closeness to God. The acoustics of the room caught the sound of our singing like few venues I have ever heard, and the sound of our music glancing upward off of the magnificent frescoes of saints and angels, as if carrying our voices and our praises directly to God, honestly left me near tears, even while trying to make it through “Sometimes I Hear God’s Music.” These are the moments, I think, that make the difficulties faith presents us with worthwhile; these fleeting times when we see the Almighty with startling clarity, the moments so beautiful that we are left on the verge of tears in the presence of God. I had two today, and I count myself blessed and hope that my peers can say something similar.
There was, of course, plenty of time for fun in the midst of our busy day. For me this included a wonderful dinner at KFC (with free refills!), a trip to the Franz Kafka museum (don’t ask), several hours perusing the narrow cobblestone streets of Prague and the countless souvenir stores and, coolest of all, a river cruise through the city courtesy of our friendly neighborhood ministers. The cruise gave us all a new view of the city, including a view of the Presidential residence and a giant metronome, as well as a much-needed opportunity to take a moment to sit down, slow down, and relax. Altogether, I have been going nonstop for the past 17 hours, have sung in two of the prettiest churches I can imagine, walked I don’t know how many Kilometers, asked myself how many Dollars this costs (converting from Crowns for now) countless times, and had two beautifully near-to-God experiences, all in the most beautiful city in the world. So, like I said, it’s been a long day (again, in the best possible way). I know I’ve written too much already, but on a quick personal note: Mom and Dad, we are in Prague alive, and I love and miss you. Mom, I apologize for all the grammatical errors and overly-used commas in the above. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and thoughts, please continue through the rest of our journey, including the BWS Youth Conference beginning tomorrow. Until I see you all to thank you in person, Auf Wiedersehen (again, not in Czech).
Jamie Gorsuch
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