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