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On July 11, 2010, we left for the Czech Republic on what we dubbed to be a “Worthwhile Adventure.” To celebrate the anniversary of this life-changing trip, we thought it would be good to share personal reflections looking back as gnarled, haggard international church workers 10 years later.
God is not dead in Europe. In fact, the contrary is quite true -- He is very much alive and the young people thirst for God's message of peace, love, and redemption (although they may not always realize it). Amazingly, those who do believe have faith of unquestionable strength.
Today we travel back to the United States. We will have a couple days of debriefing in Pennsylvania and then return to the Valley of the Sun on Friday.
The English Camp uses a form of ministry called "relational evangelism." I know that for some of my friends, the "e" word is one that makes them shudder. However, I've had a very good experience with that form this past week. When you live in a country where there are very few Christian role models, a camp staffed by Christians can have a profound effect on the campers.
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I found that by being transparent and honest in my beliefs, I was able to encourage some students to think in ways they hadn't before. One evening, Alisha shared a bit of her faith journey along with a few other staff. During our small group discussion after, several students shared that they could empathize with her story.
Your prayers for these students as they make themselves vulnerable would be appreciated.
What started out as Alisha and me and one of the campers leading some of The Ragamuffin Stampede's songs has evolved into what we have dubbed "The Poděbrady Sound Machine." More and more of the youth have been asking to get involved and the best part is they're GREAT! We now have a keyboard player, a drummer, and a youth singer in addition to our original lineup. We also were able to recruit an additional youth guitarist to help Angela with morning worship.
If I had to describe the Czechs in our group in just two words, I would say they are "deep thinkers." While Czechs are traditionally reserved in their willingness to voice personal thoughts and opinions, our group has been exceptionally transparent and vulnerable in its conversations.
The campers have arrived!
After a morning of instruction and last-minute preparation for their arrival and an afternoon of getting our last "down time" for the next week (more on this in a bit), we all rushed outside and made a welcome tunnel at 3 p.m. as the charter bus inched up the steep hill to Chata Jadlová.
One thing I can assure you all is teenagers always act like teenagers, regardless of what part of the world you are in.
Lots of rolling hills with fields and small farm houses. As we neared our destination, Chata Jedlová, the hills became much larger -- I dare say "mountainous."
We met the groups we will be working with at the camp: Josiah Venture, an international mission agency consisting of interns from the U.S. and Czech team members and focuses on empowering local churches in Eastern Europe, and a church group of young adults from Portland, Oregon.
Yesterday (7/15) we spent the day bonding with our Czech hosts and growing in our knowledge of the Czech culture and outlook on life. We woke up early, jumped on the train, and traveled back to Prague.
