On Our Way to Prague!

Hi everyone, 

We are currently sitting on a train on our way to Prague. We said our goodbyes to our Czech friends- and now we head into our final two days of debrief as a team.

It is bittersweet to leave. Though we only spent 9 or so days together with these students, authentic relationships were formed. Conversations went deep, lives and hearts were shared, crazy games were played.... And so we leave with hearts full. And yet we also leave praying and hoping that these Czech students stay connected. Our desire is that they get plugged into the community at Kostel Jinak, the church plant we partner with in Sumperk. Would you pray with us for this? That as these students experience and see how the Kostel family does life, how they treat each other, how they love- that these students would see Jesus and be pointed to Him.

The weekend of follow-up and staying with Czech families went really well. We went to Kostel together, went for a walk around Sumperk, went on a hike, and had a BBQ. It was great for our students to continue conversations with students from camp and to experience more of Czech culture :)

Today we will meet as a team and with JV missionaries to debrief our trip. Tomorrow we will spend the day seeing Prague! Pray for continued unity for our team to finish strong. Pray for the Lord to be working in our own hearts as we process what we experienced and learned these last two weeks.

We leave early Wednesday morning... And get into MSP later that day. We appreciate prayers for safety as we travel and for smooth flight connections. See you all soon!

So thankful for your prayers,

Jess (for all)

End of Camp

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the delay in updating- the past few days of camp have been full and have flown by. 

And just like that, it's the end of camp. We just finished our final night of discussion groups- and ended with our typical bonfire and writing encouraging notes to each other.

Thank you for your prayers for us these past few days. Hike day was awesome- the weather was sunny, clear and hot- and the view was beautiful from the top of Lysa Hora. There were great conversations that took place and it really launched us into the second half of camp.

A brief overview of these last few days:

Tuesday- hike day + girls night (painting nails and doing face masks) & man night (grilling sausages and throwing logs) in the evening 

Wednesday- English, rainy day, indoor games in afternoon, game show (minute to win it games) in the evening 

Thursday- English, "Gospel Night" (clearly  presenting Gospel to students), čajovna ("tea house" - a quiet place for conversations to happen), night walk 

Friday- last morning of English, last discussion groups, bonfire, encouragement papers

The atmosphere of this camp has been so sweet. There is really a lot of openness- many students are interested in what they have been hearing. Many are hearing the Gospel and stories from the Bible for the first time. Be praying that these conversations continue! Pray that we and the Czech team would follow up well.

Tomorrow we head to Sumperk for follow-up. This is when our students get to stay in the homes of their Czech friends. Pray for energy and safety as we have a longer travel day ahead of us. Pray for students from camp to come to the follow-up events this weekend! This time is crucial for connecting them to Kostel Jinak. Pray for strength and missional hearts as our team continues to press on in relationships with students and in initiating spiritual conversations.

We head to Prague on Monday for two days of debrief and then the team heads home already on Wednesday! I'll try to update at least once more before the trip is over.

Thanks for praying!!

Camp Update!

Hi everyone,

We just finished day 3 of camp! We are tired, but doing well.

The team is doing an awesome job of teaching English, connecting with new students, planning creative games, leading different activities, etc.

It's been really hot here, but even so, we have had soccer and volleyball tournaments in the afternoons, as well as water fights.

All of these games, sport tournaments, dancing, etc is a way for us to build relationships and have shared experiences with these Czech students. The community and atmosphere that happens at camp is rare in many Czechs' lives- and we hear over and over again that this is the reason students come back to camp. 

We know this is of the Lord- and we continue to pray that the love and acceptance they experience from us would point to Him. Continue to join us in praying for opportunities to share our stories, how the Gospel is changing us, the reason for our faith. 

Tomorrow is hike day. Our students will have hours of conversations with Czech students as we will hike Lysa Hora, the tallest mountain in this region of Czech. Pray for strength as we hike- but also for boldness and courage as we go deeper with these students. It's a critical point of camp! 

You can also be praying for Justin, Ben and Hannah as they are giving the evening talks. Hannah did an incredible job tonight- and we are excited for Ben to speak tomorrow. Nathan will be sharing his testimony tomorrow as well. Several of our students have also been leading devotions in the morning for all the believers at camp. You can be praying for clarity and wisdom as our students prepare, share and teach.

We would also appreciate prayers for health and energy! Tomorrow is an exhausting day- and we still have a lot ahead of us. 

Thank you for standing with us and asking God to draw students to Himself!

Jess (for all)

Camp Starts TODAY!

Today is the day... CAMP STARTS!

The past 24 hours we have been spending time with the Czech team- playing games, praying for camp, going for a short hike, and doing final preparations for camp. Continue to pray that the Lord would unite us and that the love we have for each other would point others to Christ.

Students arrive at 5pm and then begins a week of crazy games, songs, dancing, speaking English, having discussions and  building relationships!

We are so excited to meet these 20 new students who are coming to camp this year. Would you join us in praying for them now? We also appreciate your prayers for protection over our camp- both physical and spiritual. Pray for the Lord to give us energy, hearts that are on mission and courage in conversations.

Thank you for standing with us!

Training at Malenovice

Hey everyone, 

We just finished our two-day training at Malenovice. It's been a great time of learning and bonding as a team!

Here's some of what these two days have consisted of: 

-sessions on history, culture, sharing the gospel, teaching English, small groups and the mission/vision of JV

-volleyball, rap battles, team games

-tasty Czech meals

-kofola (tradition Czech pop) and ice-cream

-fresh veggies and granola for breakfast

-beautiful views of the mountains, sunsets, etc.

-learning the camp dance and songs that we will be leading next week 

-spending time with our Czech team leaders- Luboš, Alena, and Lucka

-communion and commissioning with other U.S. teams who are here for training to do camps across Czech 

Tomorrow is a day for us to finish prepping our English lessons, games for camp, evening talks, and morning devotions that our team will be leading. Please pray for focus as we work on these things in the morning and that we would be diligent with our time!

The Czech team comes tomorrow afternoon and we will spend the evening bonding together as one team and in prayer for the coming week. Please pray that the Lord would be uniting our hearts and using this team for mutual encouragement and building up.

We so appreciate your support and prayers- THANK YOU!