Day 5

Tonight we are in Prague. This morning we visited Litomysl and this afternoon we were at youth group in Vysoke Myto. It was very exciting, there were close to 60 people there! This is the largest group they have ever had for anything other than English camp! More than half of the students who came to youth group this afternoon were students we met this week in the classes we visited. Vlada and the Czech team are so excited about what God has done this week through our presence here in the Czech. Please be praying for the students we interacted with this week, and pray specifically that they would continue to connect to the English club and to the youth group and especially for those who end up going on the retreat next weekend. Thank you so much for your partnership with us on this trip, we are extremely thankful for your prayers throughout the week. Tomorrow we will take the day to see Prague and then will leave early Sunday morning for Chicago.

Day 4

Today was our last day in the schools. It was another great day of meeting new students and inviting them to our English camp in the summer. Four of us traveled to Holice (pronounced: hole-its-eh) to a school of one student from our previous summer camps. The teachers were very hospitable and were so thankful we were there. The other group of four returned toa school they had visited yesterday and were greeted by the teachers with snacks and were invited to a music class by the music teacher. The class of 1st-3rd graders serenaded them with American songs.

This afternoon we hung out with students we met in classes this week in

the town square for ice cream and coffee. We have been so excited to see how God has given us the ability to connect so quickly with these students.

This evening we traveled to Hradec Kralove (I really can't pronounce this one so I won't try to type it either). This city is about 30 minutes away from Vysoke Myto and they are trying to plant a new church there. They are beginning this new church by reaching students first and planting a youth ministry. So we went to be with the new youth group there. It was exciting because there were about 10 or 12 students there for the first time, and many of them said they would like to come back next week! Several of them also said they would like to go to English camp this summer.

Alyssa was able to share the gospel with a student tonight who had never heard about Jesus before and the student said that he would come back to youth group to learn more. Tomorrow afternoon is when the youth group in Vysoke Myto meets, so please pray that the new students we met this week would come and would feel loved and return in the future.

Day 3

Today we were in schools again for the morning and afternoon. Some of us traveled outside of Vysoke Myto because students we know from our summer English camps invited us to their schools in other cities. In the morning a few of us went to a city called Litomysl (pronounced leet-o-mich-ul). We had 5 students from our summer camp in our class there. Later in the morning some other students traveled to another school where there were several students from summer camp. We are seeing God even begin to build a bridge with a parent of a Czech student. Rhonda has been able to have a special ministry with many of the teachers of the classes we are visiting, today was especially great because one of the teachers is the mother of a student who has been to our summer English camp for 3 years.

The best part of the day was this evening. We hosted and played a game with students from the youth group and students we invited from the schools. About 40 students came and half of them were students who came because they met us in their english classes over the last three days! The Czech team is very excited because several of these students are planing to sign up for the youth group retreat next weekend and they only came to the church yesterday for the first time. God is definitely working through our ministry here and is using our team to build bridges to the church here in Vysoke Myto. Please continue to pray for our time in schools and for students to feel welcomed and loved by us and especially the team from the Czech church. Tomorrow (Thursday) is our last day in schools so please pray for good conversations.

Day 2

So, today Alyssa pointed out the name of this shop. Notice the top line of the sign says "Barak Obalmat". In Czech, it literally means "The house of the wrapping materials." So, for all of you who think President Obama was born in Kenya, maybe it was the Czech! (That was for you Dave Villwock.)

On to more important things...Today was similar to yesterday, we spent the morning and afternoon in schools speaking in English with students and inviting them to join us in the afternoons this week and at English Camp this summer. Tonight we helped out at the English Club the church hosts every week. It was great because there were 10 students who came for the first time because they met us in classes yesterday and today! Several of them said that they would be coming back to English Club every week now. This is what we were hoping for, we are here to serve as a bridge for students to connect with people from the church here in Vysoke Myto. So please continue to pray for us for the rest of the week as we meet new students and invite them to events at church in the afternoons and evenings.

Day 1

Yesterday (monday) was our first day on the ground and we hit the ground running. We started out in classes at 8 a.m. To be honest, I wasn't totally sure how this would go, but it went great! We split up into groups in each class and led discussions in English about life, culture, history, and of course Czech food. Some of the Czech students were shy about their English at first, but once we got discussions going they were very excited to be able to practice their English with native speakers. We ended each class by inviting students to come to some events we are holding at the church this week and by inviting them to come to English Camp this summer.

In the evening, the Czech team held a birthday party to celebrate our 5 years of working together. They invited students who had been to our camps over the last four years and we had a great reunion with all who came! It was great to see students we know and to connect with some who have accepted Christ over the last few years.

We made it!

After a 10 minute dash in the Geneva, Switzerland airport to catch our connecting flight to Prague, we arrived safely. The only downside is that our bags didn't quite make the 10 minute connection. They will be delivered later this evening. It really ended up being a blessing in disguise because we were able to walk around in Prague for a bit and grab some lunch without having to lug our big bags around. It also made the 3 hour train ride much easier without our bags. We've been joking that maybe for this summer's trip we should lose our bags too so we can just have them delivered!

We'll be waking up early tomorrow morning to head to our first schools to begin teaching English. Please be praying for us as we overcome our jet lag and for the students we will be interacting with. Tomorrow evening we will have a reunion party with students who have been to our summer camps over the past four years. Please pray that GOD would use that time for us to be an encouragement to the students who have prayed to receive Christ over the past four years and for us to continue to take our relationships further with those who have shown interest in the gospel in the past.

Ken