A "Scary Place" turns into an open door?

Things aren't always what they seem...
The metro stop for Cara's house is called Stracnicka, "haunted" or "scary" in Czech. And at first glance the pedestrian underpass from the metro to the other side of a busy street here, gave the impression that it was living up to its name! In the evening, with not many people around and dimly lit, simply a typical big city environment - complete with graffiti and trash - looked worse than it turned out to be.

So last Friday, instead of going downtown to try and share the Gospel and meeting mainly tourists, we decided we would just explore our own neighborhood and ask God to show us the open doors right around us.

What a difference the day makes! This little intersection of our neighborhood is actually a transportation hub with the metro, the bus and the trams all stopping here. And our "scary" little tunnel is actually a bustling marketplace with various shops selling everything from linens, to jewelry, purses, and clothes. There is even two little bakeries with fresh pastries and coffee to go! Who would've guessed? Since shops close early here, with pull-down sliding metal doors, in the dark there was no way to tell that there was all this life hidden here. (Hmmm...maybe like Prague itself? That is our prayer!)

But the best part is just past the tunnel...here there is a modern sports park underway! The anchor attraction is a "Quicksilver" skate park, but there is also a climbing wall, a children's area, a baseball / soccer field, basket ball and tennis courts, bmx trails and a sand volleyball pit! Its open to the public and entrance is free!
After school and on the weekends this is "the" place for kids in our neighbor-hood to hang out. It is bordered on one side by a "green belt" running through the neighborhood, and on the other side by an elementary school, with apartment buildings all around.

We have been praying for a way to reach the youth of Prague, because they usually seem to be more open to the Gospel and because Jason is an athlete at heart and has a real love for sports of all kinds. We really believe that God so often leads us according to our redeemed passions. The things that we love are so often put there by God and rather than drive them out in favor of more "religious" pursuits, He wants to use those things for His glory and our encouragement.

Already when we've gone to play volleyball we have either met people who have invited us to join them when they regularly go play or asked us to call them whenever we play.

This is potentially such an open door to meet people, develop relationships, and - as the Spirit leads - share "the reason for the hope that is within us"! Please pray that God would draw those who are ready to hear about Him to that park and open the doors for relationship. We are excited and we will keep you posted!

Just a Traveling Man...

It's often said that you don't appreciate people until they are gone, but this wasn't the case with our dear friend Jon. We loved Jon while he was here, greatly appreciated his gifts, talents, insight and perspective and were more than sad to see him go. Thankfully he only went back to the States, and our loss is tempered with the knowledge that he is moving on with God's plans for him, and so for that we are happy to let him go and wish him well in his further studies and in life.
Jon was studying here in Prague at Charles University ("It's all about nationalism"). He and Jason were roommates and as well as just being a great friend and a big part of the ministry here, Jon also lead worship for our Bible studies, etc. Being an original thinker and a bright student, Jon had opportunities to get to know some of his professors outside of the classroom. Please pray with us that the seeds of faith that God was able to sow through Jon would be watered and grow there at the university.

Just a few days before Jon left he played at a local coffee shop here in Prague. He sang some songs that he had written and if we can figure out how to shorten the clip (any tips, anyone?) we'll post it via YouTube here. Cara got to sing a few songs with him and a few of the regulars from the Bible study were there...it was a good time.

So, Jon, God bless you. We miss you and are praying for you and you are welcome back anytime! :)

Love one another...

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for God is love. (I John 4:7,8)

We have some friends here that we really love. Americans say "love" much too easily; we "love" ice cream, we "love" football, we "love" our dog. Most other cultures don't say it that freely. But in regards to Yung and Eunhyong, we really do love them. And we also loved the feast Eunhyong prepared for us recently! 7 different traditional Korean dishes (and of course, rice) that took her nearly 13 hours to prepare! Everything from dried squid and snails in spicy pasta to "Korean Pizza" and little fishies with the head and eyes still on them...interesting. Even though most of it was pretty exotic to us, it was all incredibly delicious.

Yung and Jason study Czech together and that is how Noelle and Cara met Eunhyong (or "Cindy" as she said we could call her if her Korean name was too difficult to pronounce). They are expecting their first child soon and so last week Cindy had to leave to return to Korea before they would no longer allow her to fly (due to her pregnancy).

Yung and Cindy had visited our Bible study, and now Yung is continuing since Cindy has left.(Here Yung had something to say after the study that apparently all the girls seem enthralled with!) :) We are all very happy that they have come into our lives. They are both very genuine people, funny, smart and just overall great people. We miss Cindy already. Will you join us in praying that her delivery of the baby will go smoothly, that Yung will return safely and in time to be there then and that God will continue to reveal Himself to them in love and grace? We really love them and know that God does too.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (I John 4:9-11)

Prayer...

"What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better,

not new organizations or more and novel methods,

but men whom the Holy Ghost can use -- men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.

The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men.

He does not come on machinery, but on men.

He does not anoint plans, but men, men of prayer."

~ E. M. Bounds

God put it on Jason's heart recently to call our team to a day of fasting and prayer. How true it is that when "we draw near to God, He draws near to us"! We spent the day together praying and asking for God's leading, provision, wisdom, and strength in the Holy Spirit. It was a sweet time. Tonight at Bible Study we were reminded that true Christianity is built on an intimate relationship with God and that this comes about only by time spent with Him. Prayer is a key to that relationship.

May we ask you to pray with us for some specific needs?

• Pray for help with Czech language studies for the whole team.
• God to prepare the hearts of the Czech people and for new opportunities and open doors for ministry.
• Please pray for personal spiritual growth and quiet time with the Lord for the whole team.
• Pray for the Monday night Bible Study, for the Lord to continue to bless the teaching of His Word.
• Clear vision for future ministry.
• Pray for the believers in our fellowship that their faith would be strengthened and their love for God would grow.
• Pray for the evangelism on Fridays
• Pray for a fresh leading and guiding of Holy Spirit.
  Pray for physical and spiritual protection.

Thank you for all your prayer and support! Please let us know how we can pray for you as well. Write us at thepragueteam@gmail.com and we would love to agree with you in prayer!

Easter Outreach Team

"To turn the hearts of the people of Prague towards God - and the hearts of the people of God towards Prague!"
We didn't have this as a motto for when the team from Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe came to Prague, but we could have!

When the team was here Easter weekend our goal was that God would use them to turn the hearts of the people of Prague towards God. But also we desire that the people of God, whose hearts are already His, would be turned towards Prague!


While giving the students that came an opportunity to minister, experience another country and culture in Europe and to put into practice the truths they are learning at the bible college; we also wanted to show them the needs and opportunities here in Prague.

Our prayer is that God would put a burden on their hearts to pray for Prague, and that maybe some of them might hear God's call to come and minister here and be a part of our team. We know that "The history of missions is the history of answered prayer". (M. Samuel Zwermer).


And while the team was here we did pray. We prayed for each of the team members that, as they were nearing the end of their semester at college, God would clearly lead and direct each one on the next step that He had for them. We prayed for the different plans we had for outreach and evangelism for the weekend (more on that in the next posting!), and we prayed for God to lead us to those people in Prague that God was preparing to hear His good news! And He did!

More about the outreach at the college student dormitory, the Easter dinner and more in upcoming posts....keep praying for us and for these students...and for Prague!

Resurrection Sunday Remembered...

Easter Sunday is long past but it will always be remembered as the first sunrise service for Calvary Chapel Prague.

While most of the city was just waking up, we prayed that Prague would also be awakened spiritually.


It is our prayer that the Czech people would have their eyes opened to God's love and grace and the reason why we celebrate Easter - the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ that wipes away our burden of sin!


Jon, Jason, Cara and Holly (from the Bible College team) made the trek up one of the hills overlooking Prague and were rewarded with an especially amazing view of this already amazingly beautiful city.

As promised, this is the first post about the Easter weekend outreach we had with the team from the bible college in Vajta, Hungary. We have been having a little technical difficulties getting this posting up on our spot, so thanks for your patience, and look forward to more relfections here on the great time that we had with the team!

A Heart for Prague's Youth

Yesterday Prague's Old Town Square was invaded by thousands of high school students. They marched from throughout the city and converged below the famous tower in Prague's historic center, before ending up in front of the Ministry of Education office. Despite the many tourists, the students made their prescence known with banners, horns, whistles, drums and shouts of "No State Exam"!

In talking to the students they explained that they were protesting a new proficiency exam required for graduation. They cited two main reasons: 1) they claimed the test was inaccurate and actually had errors 2) they were not forewarned that they would need to pass this exam in order to graduate when they started the year and so they feel that they are not prepared. Much of the material in the exam, they claim, is not covered in every school (they have an interesting system of "grammar" or standard high schools, technical schools, etc. so not every student has a "grammar" or standard education including Czech language, history, etc. that this exam is said to cover).

It was obvious that many students were there just for the good excuse to ditch school But others were very sincere in their belief that the test was wrong and they had to stand up for what they felt was right.

It's interesting that this all happened on the day that Jason had already planned for us to go out in the city for evangelism. The plan was loose; meet, pray, trust God that when we would step out that He would meet us and open the opportunities to share His love with folks. We were not disappointed.

OPEN DOORS
We split up into two groups and it was great to see how God specifically engineered exactly who each group would talk to.

Cara and her friend Denise (visiting from Applegate Fellowship in OR) ended up talking to 3 Czech students (from Moravia) and 2 Finnish students, part of a special student cooperative for top technical students. All considered themselves atheists, citing hypocrisy in Christians as one of their main reasons. This was a sharp group of students and the discussion was challenging, and fast-paced, but respectful and enjoyable.The end result was two students (a Finnish girl and a Czech boy, the most active in the conversation, and the most ardent atheist!) accepted our challenge to read the Gospel of John and ask God to reveal himself. Pray for them!

Jason, Noelle and Denise's daughter Lauren met up with a group of students that started out as only 4 but grew to 15!

Using the fact that many Czech speak English, Jason asked them to translate the Gospel tract that we were handing out. This opened the door to share the Word, Noelle gave her testimony, questions of faith were discussed as well as the all-important question of the correct way to roast marshmallows! (Noelle finally ending up buying some and demonstrating with a lighter! Plans for a marshmellow roast are in the works!)

They were really excited when they found out Jason plays for the Prague Lions and agreed to come watch one of his football games and we agreed to come to a dance recital that they would be having soon. These students were younger than the other group and are all local Prague kids. God is opening doors!

Please pray for God to lead concerning further contact with these kids and to water the seeds planted in all the hearts that day.

**We will be going out to do evangelism every Friday. Please keep us in prayer!

"To the waiting soul, God will guide His waiting servant".
~ Mrs. Howard Taylor
(daughter-in-law of famed missionary to China - Hudson Taylor).