Summer Rockets

I don't know how I will feel on the day where rockets will fill the morning sky, signaling the end of a splendid summer. I am excited to return to the familiar and assimilate again to the routines of what life presumably looks like for the year, but at the same time I am anxious that what I will find is that the familiar isn't so familiar. The taste of what I once knew will have changed because I am no who I once was.

I am less than a week away from the end of this adventure, and the start of a new one. One I hope will prove that what I experienced this summer was real and genuine. I am less than a week away from saying goodbye to a world and people I have come to fall in love with. I believe my love for it all has something to do with how I have been shaped by it.

I will be saying bye to a group of inspiring young people who I believe love God in a way I have not known before until this summer. I will be saying bye to mentors who have spoken truth and lived it out before me in ways I never thought possible in such a short amount of time. I will be saying bye to a group of a hundred young Czechs I might never see how the seeds, which have been planted, will grow.

The rockets will fly and some might never return. But I will never forget.

...Three months ago...

It was sublime to have one last grand meal together..THANKS KIM!

Final Camp: Sublime

How do I even begin to blog about this week?

All I can really do is thank everyone for their prayers. Our bodies were finally crumbling to the strain of the summer. Sickness spread. But in spite of it all, amazing things happened at this past camp.

LOVE was experienced. It was truly a gift to serve along side my home church and watch them give themselves away to students. Again, how do I begin to tell the story of this week? I can't. Not in this way. It is almost impossible to do it in a way that justify the glorious power of God and His sovereignty through it all.

I can tell you of one particular story about one of the students. He was in my English class. His belief in a God was evident from day one. He did not speak much English, but every time he spoke, it was so profound. It was clear that a spiritual foundation had been laid that was so pure and strong that our culture in America has so long forsaken. When I asked him what he thought about the idea of God using evil situations for good, he replied, "I think we all have to to experience crisis in our life to truly understand that redemption is real.".....WHAT!? Are you kidding me? And you don't know Jesus?! Later that week, he asked about suffering in world. With another Czech believer, the three of us went into a room and began dialoguing about why would God allow suffering. We got to share with him who Jesus was, and how whatever the answer for such a question was, it cannot be that God doesn't care. In fact we find the answer of human value at the cross and the victory over suffering in resurrection. It was a beautiful time. In the end he said something I will never forget. He said, "I love the atmosphere here. It is so different from the one at home. All my friends live for nothing, but here, you all are so clear...." Praise God. This week, He gave his life to Christ.

That was one of 3 stories of saved lives and one of many stories of souls taking huge leaps towards truth.

Home is coming up soon. In just a week, this adventure will come to a close, and a new one will begin...

PLEASE PRAY FOR:

1. students who gave their lives to the Lord. Pray for strength as they experience opposition and comfort in the Spirit and other believers

2. Students who are so close to embracing the Gospel

3. Students who opposed the Gospel this week

4. NCC team and Czech Church team as they follow up with the students. Many students find a home with the local church

5. DEBRIEF TIME. A good time of processing this summer and taking kingdom values home and leaving all the junk...

Round three...race to the finish line...

It's a beautiful thing when God brings home to you. The two worlds I have been submerged in are finally coming together. We are now on our third camp. 35 Czech students...19 unbelievers... One last hurrah!

Pray for:

Unity. We are one team, one body. Czechs, Americans, Interns coming together. "they will know You by our Love."

Kacka. One of the Czech Leaders just found out she has cancer. The Lord continues to bless her with strength to still participate at camp.

The 19 students who do not have a relationship with Christ and the other 16 believers who have the chance to be renewed in the Spirit.

More stories to come! GOD BLESS!

Round three camp!

Thought I would share with you the new look...

zoomba- Orlova

Theories on "trash to treasure"...English Class Orlova

Orlova

I can't believe its been 2 months... Time is just dripping from my hands and fingers, and feel like I have hardly had a taste.

This camp has been an amazing experience. It is far different from anything the team and I had seen or expected. We had a total of 13 Czechs and 13 Americans. The first few days was spent indoors, trying to escape from the rain. This really brought everyone close together as the hours were spent playing card games and talking. It seemed like everyone was a mile away from each other when they all first walked in. Nobody knew each other, there wasn't a youth group connection, the American team was novice to the whole experience...but by the end we saw the mile disappear. I saw students who said that they were atheists singing at the top of their lungs at the end of camp, "I am somebody because God loves me." I heard students from the beginning of discussion groups asking "why do I need forgiveness? I haven't done anything. I am too young to experience any pain in my life" to finally at the end of camp saying, "I just can't get over how much junk I have in life..."

No one made a commitment to follow Jesus, but when a girl in one of our groups came up and asked, "Can I have a Bible? I really want to figure this out," that was more real and authentic than any worship conference or evangelistic camp I had ever been to. I saw the thirst for truth. For me, it was just enlightening to live in community with the lost, to feel their pain, to love unconditionally, and to see them as our Creator sees the world.

As believers, we were struck with notes from students that said things like, "why are you different"....or "we have never been loved like this before"....Praise God that He was made known by our love for one another. There was sadness in our goodbyes, but I wonder if this is what the Apostle Paul felt, moving from town to town, after falling in love with it, seeing growth, but knowing there was more to do.

I'm so in love right now. With the country. With the people. With those I am serving beside. With what God is doing in this place. I don't want it to end.

Tomas became a believer last week. It was so eye opening to see the Holy Spirit work in him, calling him to share his story and tell the gospel, immediately. He was an absolute gift.

PAUSE 7.15.10

Rest is kind of this beautiful/ugly thing for me. I see the need for it. Without it, I'm like a dull knife cutting myself away. But it's so easy to get lost in the apathy and lose all momentum. Today was the first real day of rest as I was able to spend some really quality time with the Lord and process all that has taken place.

It is a sad place to realize this summer is coming to an end. It's selfish, but I really do not look forward to the day I walk away from this family, walk away from the work, walk away from the chaos I fell in love with.

I love the ministry philosophy: Venturing out to raise up young Josiah's... Remember, young Josiah seeking the God of His father, David at age 16. He then began a revival- Sharing the word of God, re-establishing the temple, removing false teachings and idols in all the land. Imagine. What if we were to seek after young Josiahs in our midst. This idea of youth ministry is so inspiring. Seeking the youth of a nation and watching God take a young national, and raise him up to begin revivals in his home town. I am so privileged to be part of this work...

The next camp begins in a few days and after that, I will join up with Northwest Community Church for the final camp of the summer. And then....back to school...back to job...back to "9 hours ago". Some update on this upcoming camp. So we are now finally at 13 students who will be going. None of them are believers. There are a total of 13 Americans. As you know two girls that were coming with in a life-threatening bus accident. They are recovering, but the reality of life and death are fresh in their minds. Amazingly, the girls friends have communicated that they still want to go to English camp. When Kim and Dan visited some of them in the hospitals. Their friends communicated to them that they don't know why, but they feel they are suppose to go to camp. God is working in our midst. We just recruited two more Czechs from the previous camp who will come to Orlova Camp. One of them, is Tomas, who just became a believer a week ago! He volunteered to share is testimony! It's incredible that the Spirit is already so active in him that he has chosen to already share the gospel with people he has never met!

The team has undergone some other obstacles. Jeanette is facing some issues with the foreign police. She has been out of the country for enough time to require a visa. It has been a stressful situation, but she has had a great attitude. There are some chances that she might leave early, but we are praying.

Tonight, 230 people will go out into the heart of the Czech Republic and speak with their tongues and their lives of Jesus Christ.

Pray for the camps.

Pray against the enemy

Pray for salvation

PAUSE