The Beginning Of The End

New Family

One of the things I love most about Christianity is the way that all of us who put our faith in Christ are part of a large, ever increasing family. I love meeting brothers and sisters in Christ and knowing that we automatically have a connection, a common ground in Christ. For the camp we just finished with Prague KS we were joined by a team from Arizona. And they were AMAZING!!! I really fell in-love with each person on their team. Zach and Caitlin Moore led the team and they are both 26. The rest of the team was made up mostly of students from the youth ministry that Zach leads. I can't wait to find a way to go visit Arizona. This was their first time doing camps with Josiah Venture but you would have thought they had been doing it for years. They just jumped in and served whole-heartedly and were a HUGE blessing and help to me and our team. Also two girls from my class became Christians! So we have two new family members in Czech! It was a really incredible camp. It started out pretty rough. The kids from Prague are just more rough around the edges than those in Hradec Kralove. Its the edgy-ness of a big city. Many more students coming from broken homes and just harder back grounds. So at first it seemed maybe we'd all just have to take a deep breath and press though but it was really amazing to see the hearts of these students soften over the course of the week. And I am confident that the work that God began in the hearts of these students will continue.

Health

My health has continued to be well. I lost my voice for the first part of the camp but my throat didn't hurt. I think I was just yelling too much. The biggest health-like issue our team has been facing since I last wrote is an injury Chris got while playing soccer. At our last training we had, the day before we left for camp, they had a soccer tournament and not too long into the game Chris came down wrong on his ankle and at the same time was pushed so he had to go to the hospital. He had a cast put on it but was finding it hard to ice it with a hard cast so the nurse at the camp cut off the cast and got him a brace. Its getting better slowly but surely. Its just hard cuz Chris is a really active guy and so its been tough to have to be low action. We found out while in Cesky Raj and then through the summer Brad and Lucie have been telling more people that Lucie will have a baby!!! It was really cool that Chris, Sarah and I got to be some of the first people (after Lucie's mom) to find out. So Lucie, who is also usually really active, has also had to take it a bit more slow too.

The Rest Of The Summer

So the past few days Chris, Sarah and I have been in Sumperk where Hawaii (a guy who's real name is Josh but everyone calls him Hawaii cuz he is from there) team has been staying. Its been nice to just relax and not have much to do for a few days to be rested for our next, and final camp. This afternoon we will head to Havlickuv Brod and stay the night there. Then we will head to camp w/their youth group and Saturday camp begins. After camp our two teams will go back to Prague for debrief and we will meet up again with Brad and Lucie there. This session of camp Brad and Lucie are doing a camp with Vsetin youth. It will be a sports camp but they will also teach them English. Then Chris and Sarah take off August 14th and I will go to Hradec that night so I can go to a wedding there the next day of Pavel (the youth leader there) and Veronika. Its going to be in a castle near Hradec. Then I will see my old friends Daniella and Radek in Vysoke Myto. Then a couple days in Cesky Tesin then there's a few days I'm still figuring out and I end up in Prague somewhere around the 22nd and I will leave Prague the 26th. I am going to really really miss Sarah and Chris. I am excited tho to see my old friends from past years here. So I will try and  write again before I leave CZ but if not I will update as soon as I get back to Portland.

How to join the adventure:

*PLEASE pray for Chris' ankle. Pray it heals quickly so it can be better by the time he heads back home.

*Pray for unity with our team and Hawaii's team, that we can be a solid group.

*Pray for God to keep pursing those students who came to the Prague camp.

*Praise God for the amazing unity He gave us w/the Arizona team!

*Praise God for our two new sisters in Christ!

*Praise God for the baby inside Lucie! Pray it stays healthy.

*Pray for travel as we are having to carry Chris' bag as well as all of our bags

*Pray that God softens hearts of the students in Havlickuv Brod

*Pray for Brad and Lucie's camp in Vestin. That they will have energy to lead it and that God will work in the hearts of the students there.

Thanks guys! Love you!

Em

For the Love of Camps...

From top to bottom: Pavlina and I. She and Veronika were such great hosts to me when we visited for the weekend and for follow up too. Dani and I, Dani is a new friend I met. He is not a Christian yet. He and I had fun teaching each other our languages. Vita and I...Vita did the filming of this past camp and I have a lot to learn from him. He is a good brother. Sarah, Chris and I on top of the White Tower in the square in Hradec. And the last is of Hradec from the top of the tower.

One Camp Done Two More to Go

So Hradec camp went really well. There was potential for lots of comparisons to be made between this camp and previous years because this camp was run by a new Czech youth group leader and a new American youth group team leader. Many of the same people who had come to help in years past were not here. But the students didn't complain. They all embraced the newness of camp and jumped in. I had all girls in my class this week which was pretty fun. We had a higher level than usual in the beginning class so I had to work to make my lessons harder but it was fun in the end. My main goal was to help them use the English they already knew. One day we had a "girls day" and talked about personality and boys. Camp seriously FLEW by. It felt like three days not one week. I had a lot of fun improving my Czech language as well. I cannot tell you guys just how much I love camps! I'm sure it is because I grew up going to camp myself. So I think part of my love for camp stems from my own experiences but I think I also really love the time we get with these Czech students to share English and to share the hope of Jesus. So we have a team arriving from Arizona to help us with the Prague camp. 

It Is God Who Chooses

At the last American team training they had a couple of Czech's who are interns this summer share their stories about how they became Christians. One was really into Darwinism and thought that Christianity was just for elderly people or people who were not smart. The other used his intellect to often argue against Christians and did not want to be a Christian. He went to camp a couple times and was fighting against God and becoming a Christian but eventually found that no matter how hard he tried to resist it, there was God's love for him. Hearing these two stories before camp was really encouraging for me. And I often would remember that its not me, or my team, or anyone besides God that is going to cause these students to give up their atheism and to trust in the hope of Christ. A verse that we read a few times in the morning sessions also encouraged me in this...John 15:16 "You did not choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name." I also was really encouraged by reading again about Paul's conversion. He was chasing after Christians in hopes of imprisoning them when he was met on the road of Damascus by Jesus. So you see, I really believe that, if we were all honest with ourselves, we did not choose God. It was not on our own initiative  that we who are Christians became Christians. In each of our stories if we are looking, we will see the truth that it was God who chose US. I feel like that gives me so much for freedom in sharing the gospel. Its not up to me to save the students at camp, all I can do is share the hope and truth and joy and love that comes in Christ and then leave the rest up to God and His timing.

Time flies When Your Having Fun

The summer is about 2/3 over. In one month from today Sarah and Chris will leave. I wish I could find a way to slow time down so this month could somehow feel like a year...to somehow find a way to get MORE time with these two, who have become my summer family and my dear friends. This is one of the hardest parts of the summer, building relationships with people you may or may not see again. But it is always worth it. My life will never be the same now that I've met Sarah and Chris. They and Brad and Lucie have impacted me a lot and I am blessed to get to spend another month with this family.

How you can join the adventure...

*Praise God for my restored health!!! Thanks for ALL your prayers. I still have a small cough but its more just regular asthma cough now. So thanks again. 

*Praise God for the work he began in the hearts of students at camp! Pray He continues that work

*Pray for the health of the Ottowa team that was helping us. Many of them got sick.

*Pray for our relationship with the team arriving from AZ and the Prague youth group. 

*Praise God for the unity that we had with the Ottowa team and Bri, Amy and Breanne.

*Pray that Sarah, Chris, Brad Lucie and I can continue to go deep with eachother that we can keep building these bonds. 

*Pray for safe travels between Malenovice and the camp.

Thanks guys for staying involved and for all the support and love. To God and His glory!

Em

July Has Begun!

Czech Paradise 

Brad, Lucie, Chris, Sarah and I spent five days as a team exploring Cesky Raj (ches-kee-rye) which translated means Czech Paradise. There were lots of really cool rock formations in the forest and caves and view points. It was a really fun time of bonding and feeling adventurous. I had a bad cough most the time but I still really enjoyed myself. It felt kinda like if Arches National Park were to meet the north west. With this towering rocks and deep forests.

And Now It's July...

July equals camps. Our team is being joined this first camp by six Americans from Ottawa, IL, two girls Bri and Amy from World Harvest Missions and an old intern Breanne from Colorado and the youth group from Hradec Kralove to start our first camp. This camp is at the campsite my first camp I ever did here in Czech so its really cool to be back here.We are going to spend this evening setting up the meeting room and preparing our teaching boards then the students will all come tomorrow The 4th Of July! And we will end the evening with fireworks. I will be teaching beginning level English again and will also being doing camp motions for the songs with Breanne. After camp we will go back to Hradec to do follow up and then we will go back to Malenovice for the second American team training session. I will write more then with stories from camp. Hope you guys have an amazing 4th of July and that you take time to think about freedom and where your freedom comes from. May you find it in Christ. 

Joining The Adventure:

*Pray for the students that are coming to camp, that they will see the love of God in and through us.

*Pray for team unity between our different teams represented this week.

*Pray for english class, that we will tach useful and helpful English lessons.

*Pray for our evening talks about The Story Of God.

*Pray for my lungs to be healed. I was diagnosed with bronchitis but I am taking antibiotics and am getting better slowly but surely.

*Pray for rest, for our teams.

*Praise God that He has brought us all here together for this time and that He knows the hearts of the students that will be here and has brought us all together in His wisdom.

*Praise God for my team. I love them more and more every day.