Bible Institute Students
We have four potential Czech students for Hungary Bible Institute this year!!! That is way more than we have had in many years. We are super excited to see these young people follow God's leading and spend a year or two studying the Bible. We have been watching these young people grow and mature, and we want to see that continue!You can be a part of this too, in two huge ways. The first is of course prayer. Pray for these students as they prepare to go and as they talk through the details with their families. Pray for the parents, that they would understand their child's desire to grow closer to the Lord, and that they would support this decision. The second way you can be a part of this is financially. In Czech Republic, students normally don't pay for higher education. Choosing to go to the Bible Institute is more than just a transfer to a different college (and country!) and while Hungary Bible Institute is not expensive by any means, it seems that way to students who have not paid for their education up until this point. This is one of the biggest stress points, as well as one of the biggest reasons a Czech might not go to the Bible Institute. We want to make this part of the process as easy as possible for them. We have a scholarship fund set up for these students specifically. All of the information on how to give towards this will be at the end of this newsletter.
Leadership Camp in Portugal
I am so excited for this trip to Portugal in August! I don't have a complete list of people going yet, but I am working on it, and hoping to take as many as possible. As I have mentioned previously, this is a great opportunity for the young people we work with here to be trained in leadership - whether or not they will be in leadership someday. This is a little off topic, but as a CCI group around the world, we are reading a book called "How to Lead When You're Not in Charge", and we have been talking about how to influence those around you, to be a leader, even if you aren't in charge of the people around you. You can still have an influence! This leadership camp will be no different. Leadership skills are beneficial no matter where you are. We have a special project fund for this as well, to help cover plane tickets and such.Bambi Fest
This past weekend we were part of a kids' and families' festival in Blansko and it was so much fun!! We had two different activities the kids could do: English and sports. The sports part was sort of an obstacle course that they went through with either a soccer ball or a football. For English, we practiced the parts of the body. We had the different parts (ears, eyes, nose, hands, feet, etc.) laminated with velcro on the back and the kids placed them on a board with a body traced on it. Some of the kids were really young, so we just did it in Czech, but they were so cute!!!! After they completed either English or sport, they got to jump in a bouncy house we borrowed for the weekend. The kids all really enjoyed it and Honza was able to talk to many parents about our camp.
Camp is Coming!!!
We have been doing a lot of planning for camp this past month or so. Our registration page and process got a huge face-lift and is so much easier to navigate now, which takes a lot of work off Honza's plate, but there is still so much to do! Over 250 campers have registered to come to camp this year, with many more on the waiting list, and now that camp is full, we have to make sure that they have a program they enjoy, food that is delicious, and staff to keep the camp running!We still need to fill about 20 spots for the three weeks of camp, including counselors, crew, and translators, and that has been a main focus over the past couple weeks. This is one of the biggest differences between NY camps and camp here. Summer staff doesn't come from the student ranks, because we don't have students! We rely on volunteers to counsel, help in the kitchen, translate for speakers and sports teachers, etc. This is one reason why we focus on young people in Czech, and not just kids. The young adults that we disciple and lead and interact with are the ones who make summer camp possible each year. This weekend (May 24-26) is one of two training weekends we have for the summer staff. Our goal is to have the staff numbers completely full before this weekend.
AXIS - Wrapping up the year
Our Bible Club in Tišnov will be finishing up in a couple weeks. I have been so blessed to be a part of this ministry this year, to get to know the kids and to pour into them. It can be frustrating sometimes to minister for so long and not see a whole lot of fruit, but it has been a lesson in patience for me. I have seen growth in one of the girls that comes regularly, Klara. I am not sure if she is saved, but she shows great interest in the Bible lessons each week and often asks more questions afterwards. I have also built a relationship with Ruby, the oldest of the pastor's kids. She speaks English fluently (her mom is American) and is a great help when we are teaching new English concepts and words. I recently spent an afternoon with her, we went out for lunch and talked about life and such. She wants to be a dentist when she grows up because she wants to help people. She is so sweet, has a big heart, and also thinks deeply about things.A Special (and unexpected!) Outreach Opportunity
During my sign language classes last fall, I developed a friendship with one of the other girls in my class, Daniela. She was the first to chat with me in English before class started, she invited me to the study group some of them had started to practice sign language, and just overall seemed interested in getting to know me better. It was strange at first, because Czech people do not normally open up as quickly as she did. But I was super thankful for her willingness to include me. After class ended, the friendship continued. Since returning to Czech after Christmas, we have had lunch a couple times, and she has offered to translate for me at a yarn shop! We have had some conversations about what I do, why I do it, and why I don't do some things. She doesn't understand some of the 'rules' of Word of Life (like no drinking....this is a big thing in Europe) but it has provided opportunities for good conversations. Please pray for this friendship, that I would be a bold witness for Christ. This is true ministry - building relationships, being open and honest, praying for the Lord to work in their hearts.Prayer Requests
- Daniela, that her heart would be open and that I would be bold in sharing my faith with her- Camp staff, that we would have all the workers we need to run camp smoothly, and that we would be intentional with pouring into them as well as ministering to the kids this summer
- The kids at AXIS, that their hearts would be open and that they would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.
- The students preparing for Hungary Bible Institute, that all the details would fall into place, including finances
If you would like to be involved in either of our projects I mentioned, please follow this link: https://give.wol.org/location/czechrepublic and on the right-hand side there will be a list of "projects" for Czech Republic. The first one is "Czech Republic Bible Institute Scholarship," code 04709C. The Leadership Camp Fund is labeled "Czech Republic Special Project," code 04721C. You can also send a check to the address below and put the code in the 'memo' of the check. Thank you in advance for investing in the lives of young people here in Czech Republic!!!
Word of Life Fellowship - Donations
PO Box 600
Schroon Lake, NY 12870
Thank you all so much for your continued support, both financially and in prayer. May God bless you for your faithfulness to His ministry.
Adele
P.S. There is some exciting and important news coming in the next newsletter!!!!
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