Thoughts on My Time in Czech, 2009

My time in Czech this summer was such a stretching experience. I'll tell you more about it below, but just know that this blog post has been delayed because I had to jump into things (and ministry) right after coming back home.

I think of this summer as one of the hardest in my life, but I mean it in a good way. God used people, challenges, and problems to further shape me into the man of God He wants me to be. As I look back on the summer, I am so encouraged that He worked in me and though me in these areas:

*Conflict/Confrontation - I've always heard the biblical edifying view of confrontation, but I was always afraid to address it before. This summer I saw much more of a need to do so. By the end of the summer I was almost moved to tears by the direct impact confrontation made on someone's life. I definitely owe many thanks to my co-leader Erica for pushing me forward in this direction and helping me show love in it

(My Team in Prague at Cream & Dream)

*Leadership - This summer I got to really lead! Last summer things were in place for us, and at the same time both Erica and I felt lost and confused through most of the summer. God worked through me to really lead and encourage my team this summer, and I was blessed through it.

*Falling in Love with God's Word - What a privilege it was to share God's Word at 3 camps this summer. This summer we told unbelievers the story of God's redemptive history. Straight up Bible stories told as stories. I saw everyone involved get a clearer picture of God, and barriers to accepting Christ started to break down. Three students responded specifically to the Gospel call, with many others expressing deep interest in these things. God's Word is more powerful than our fancy crafted deliveries.

(Story of God Icons...can you guess what each story is about?)

*Resisting Spiritual Warfare/Attack - Satan tried to attack me in two main ways: 1. almost getting me to bail out right before even going to Czech, and 2. introducing fear and uncertainty in walking by faith at the beginng of the summer especially. Both times I wanted to be home, but God showed me the spiritual attach through friends and brought me through it.

**MY CALL** - While being in Czech this summer I was rejuvenated for the ministry that's going on there, not only through English camps in the summer, but through the depth of relationships throughout the year. All summer He was clarifying my call to come back to Czech sooner rather than later. So here's more details.

(Me in Old Town Square, Prague)

I'm currently in the beginning stages of working my way back to Czech. This will require a commitment to be there for two years, with the outlook of staying there until God calls me elsewhere. After my application is accepted, I can begin to raise support, attend missionary training and language acquisition school, and figuring out more details. I know it's a crazy time to be raising support to move overseas for ministry, but I am confident that God will provide in His timing. Praise the Lord that people so generously supported me this summer, in the midst of a financial crisis.

My goal would be to get back to Czech in less than 2 years, and if He provides the funds before this summer or next fall, I would not be opposed at all. Two things I know for certain: God is calling me back to Czech and He's not done working on me in the process of getting back there.

Please keep me in prayer as I serve in my church back home and further pursue ministry in Czech.

Prep Periods, Prayer Time

As a leader at camp I am not in an English Class. It is during that time that I pray, work through some camp/team problems, and prepare to present the Story of God. This was my view one morning:

This week I really felt the joy of being able to share the Story of God with these students. The first full night we shared the story of Creation. The end of the story left Adam and Eve in the Garden living in a perfect relationship with God. We wanted students to feel the perfection, so that the Fall would feel like the blow it really was.
After telling the story, I took a walk to pray during discussion groups. The most UNBELIEVABLE sunset was spread across my view, and I felt the perfection that God created Adam & Eve in. I love how the mists are in the valleys, too. It was a great privilege and feeling.

Vikyrovice Camp

Vikyrovice camp got off to an interesting start. I found myself very exhausted and overwhelmed throughout the week, but we also saw God really work at camp anyway.
At the last night we gave an invitation for students to accept Christ and 3 students responded. Others remained in the room to think about things and ask questions. We really felt the Spirit of God at the camp and especially that last night.
Here are some pictures:
A-B-C-Flak...a very painful game but a great crowd breaker for the first night

Group Photo

Campfire...always a great way to hang out and talk

Paintball for followup...the first game was boring but the second game I shot 5 people.

Goodbye at the train station

Šumperk Camp!!

Here are some pictures from Šumperk Camp...It was a great time, and I want to thank all my friends who came. We shared from the Story of God, and it was a great way to present who God really is. Please continue to keep these students in prayer.

Our Intern Team

Zdenek, Kugi, and I
Some Friends from Camp at Followup in Šumperk
Pics of Everyone at Camp

Camp Season Begins

I am currently back in Hotel Malenovice for our first US Team Training. The purpose of this time is to review a few things for the American Youth Group and for Czech, American, and Intern teams to come together as one team. Our team from New Hope Church in Minnesota should be arriving in the next hour or so at the train station, and I have the privilege of picking them up because I know how to drive stick/manual (thanks Dad), which is every car in Europe just about.

Our intern team will be doing camp with New Hope in Sumperk. I am so excited to serve with this American team. They always bring over such quality students, and there are many returning that I have seen really catch the vision of English camps and serve well. If any of you read this...thank you!

Sumperk is one of the two groups I've worked with in the Fall, and I love the students of Sumperk. I have a passion to see them come to know Christ, and for some of these Christian students to step into leadership.

Keep us in prayer for the next 12 days. Camp is from July 4-11, training from now until then.

Long Day of Travel

This picture was taken while we were on our "short" trip from Malenovice to Sumperk. We were in Malenovice for a work project on a guest house for missionaries for a few days, and this is a trip I've taken often. Well normally this trip takes just over 3 hours, actually a nice trip by train through Czech. There was apparently flooding throughout the region we had to travel through to get back to Sumperk, so instead it took us 7 hours. In that 7 hours we encountered quite a few rediculous situations that had us laughing about in confusion:

My first "Cancelled" train
Train > Bus > Train > Train > Bus > Train
Sitting in a train for 1 hour at a station with no warning
(see above) Crowded more people on the train than could fit - I thought I had seen it all, but people didn't get on the train and the ticket lady yelled at people from outside the train
Sat in the front seat of a Bus as a buddy driver
Went the wrong way on the highway in a Bus
Rushed to catch a train that decided to wait an extra 1/2 hour anyway

Let me tell you the story of the bus ride. So we get on this overcrowded bus (something common in Czech when they're doing this) and I'm standing by the door. The bus driver decides he wants to leave space for him to see past me to the door, so he throws down a seat in the middle of the bus (I think it was a ghetto tourist bus). I'm sitting there, enjoying the ride and we get to a detour. The driver opens the door and yells at the police man, then makes a u-turn instead of following the detour. The door is still open (and my huge hiking backpack is sitting on the steps as we head back up the exit ramp. I have a front-row seat to the whole thing.

As we get to the highway, the bus driver actually tries to block others from going down that same ramp! He gets right in the middle of the exit ramp and keeps waving them to say "no, don't go that way". Then he waits to make a u-turn for about a minute, and we never know when he's actually going to go for it. He makes it and some people clap, probably because we're actually alive. We make it to the train station later than a lot of other busses because of our detour.

Now the door was open for that whole u-turn/wrong way on the highway thing. My back was litterally perched on the stairs, and I had to hold it with my leg. Afterwards, we all talked about how the bus driver was insane, and we totally don't get why he didn't just follow the cops' detour.

Just one crazy experience with Czech travel and an insane bus driver. A front-row seat in a dangerous situation.

A Month in Czech

This post is definitely a few weeks coming. So much has happened in the last month, that I don't even know how to describe it all.

Arriving in Czech
I arrived in Czech on May 27th, after travelling for 2 days. During that time I felt really prepared, and it was really nice to be able to spend the plane rides thinking and sleeping. I arrived for our Amazing Race (Vienna > Bratislava > Budapest > Czech) quite tired and not really ready to lead, but God brought our team together through the "fun" [read: really tiring with lots of walking] experience that it was.
Intern Training
I was surprised to find myself very fearful about the summer at intern training. It was actually spritual attack, and we prayed through the experience. I think my eyes are more open to see spiritual attack when it comes this summer, so the experience was good. I have been really learning about walking by faith, and I think this is the first time I'm really walking blind (or at least the first time I can see it).Weekend Visits
We've been visiting different groups this summer over the last few weekends. These are the groups we're doing camp with: Vikyrovice, Havlickuv Brod, and Sumperk. All three visits have been so different, but have been a good time to connect with these groups. I am excited to do camps with each of these groups for different reasons, and I think God will use each church/group for something special.
School Visits
We have also been visiting groups throughout the weekdays. Our first visit was after our Vikyrovice weekend visit, and I really enjoyed it. In fact, school visits remind me how much I love Czech students and how much I love doing this ministry in Czech. It's been great to go with the Youth Leaders into these schools, and I think even in doing that we're opening their eyes to the possibilities of outreach in Czech even more.

Work Project
Our team is currently in Malenovice with Jerry's team, working on a guest house where missionaries can come to get care and counseling. It still has a long way to go, but we've worked hard on it over the last 1 1/2 days. Some guys were tearing up the second floor in a house and we've been moving wood, cleaning out hay, and building a small roof. Lots of fun to be together, but tiring in the mud, fog, and rain


Next week we return to Malenovice, and our first camp begins on July 4th. Please be in prayer for our camp with Sumperk. We are so excited for this camp (we've been staying in Sumperk, too), and I believe that God is going to really work through our programs and teams at this camp.

Pics on Facebook:
http://tinyurl.com/AmazingInternTrainingRace

http://tinyurl.com/HavlickuvBrod