Prague Update–A Time to Trust

Posted by parkejladd on May 27, 2010 in Featured {Article}, Prague, Slider | 16 comments

An Update.

Let me begin by saying that the Lord is doing some incredible things here in Prague. We have had quite the adventure thus far, and we are anticipating more of the same over the next three weeks. There is much to say, too much for one blog post, but I’ll attempt cover some of the basics and fill in more as our time progresses. It’s been exceedingly challenging processing and recording all that we are learning. Every day is such a gift and such an adventure; I struggle to collect my thoughts and comprise my memories. The movement here in Prague is on its way thanks to the strong commitments of people such as George and Cindy Swain from Ohio, Frank and Marian from Germany, Pastor Jason from Idaho, Terry Brown from South Carolina, Jackie Moseley from Louisiana, and the support from all of you back in the States and elsewhere abroad. We are happy to be a part of what’s happening here in Prague. {click on pictures to expand}

The Sun!

We’ve been praying for the sun to reveal itself as the days graced by its presence have been few and far between. Our first three weeks in Prague were cold and wet, and Quinn spent more than her fair share of evenings channeling Ben Harper’s, She’s Only Happy in the Sun. I was about to join in when thankfully, this past Sunday, the rain clouds went on break; the skies turned bright blue, and we ventured outside without jackets or sweaters for the first time in many days. I remind you, it is summer in Eastern Europe. It’s funny how weather can be such a distraction for the mind, many times used as an unjustified excuse for not moving or acting poorly. We’re attempting to work through whatever weather comes our way.

The Neighborhood.

Not surprisingly, the weather impacted more lives than just our own. Overall, the people in our neighborhood seem livelier, and a few of them smile and wave as we stroll by. We managed to get yelled at only a few times this week–once by an older gentleman whose playground we were apparently not supposed to be on and once by a train conductor who mistakenly believed our tickets didn’t cover our trip. Thankfully, both of those “misunderstandings” were quickly cleared up with a sincere “pardon” and a little bit of help from a fellow train rider who spoke some English. The Lord always provides–even for the so called little things. It’s not uncommon to get yelled at in Prague. George and Cindy say, “If you’re not getting yelled at, you’re not doing anything.” I tend to agree with their philosophy.

25.

Quinn is officially twenty-five years of age. Our student friends here in Prague think it’s a bit strange we got married so young, but this strangeness gives us great opportunity to share more about our lives, our marriage and our faith. We thought we had gotten married young until we met another missionary couple from Idaho, Christian and Jessica Sprague, who got married at the ages of 19 and 20; quit their jobs and school; and moved to Prague to work for the church. There are a lot of crazy Christ-followers here–even from Idaho!

A Vonderful, Vienna, Birthday.

We went to Vienna, Austria, for two nights to celebrate Quinn’s 25th birthday. We stayed in a hostel with several other people (how romantic) including a couple from Buenos Aires, a girl from Australia, a dude from Slovakia, an old man with an excessive snoring problem from Italy, and a couple of college students from Berlin. What more could you ask for? The hostel served a complimentary breakfast, a must have for any solid hostel experience. Vienna is nice and only about five hours (by bus) from Prague. So it was a good mini-trip that didn’t pull us away for too long. Vienna truly is a beautiful city, packed full of history and intrigue, much like Prague.

Ministry.

Our Prague friends are doing quite well. They are in the midst of taking their finals and handing in their theses. I actually got to help one of my friends write the English summary of his thesis on global, economic stock bubbles. It was interesting, and I was glad for the chance to help and write. Every day we get to share the gospel, teach English, hang out, meet new people, and eat lots of Czech dumplings (so good). The Lord is providing everything we need along the way.

The Least of These.

On our bus ride back from Vienna we talked with a young lady from Paris. She was headed to Prague for the night, but when she arrived, discovered she had no place to stay. So we invited her back to our place for the night. It was interesting because it was quite obvious that the Lord allowed us to come in contact at just the right time for reasons we could not have foreseen when we first met. We got to share the gospel with her as well as our guest bedroom. Every day is a new adventure. This night was perfectly in line with our study of Matthew. We had just finished reading chapter 25 regarding taking care of and watching out for the least of these–inviting strangers in need into your care, a powerful lesson for us to learn.

Our Sanctuary.

There’s a forest near our residence, about a mile or so away, and we run through it nearly every day. It’s actually a very nice, expansive park, and it’s wonderful having this area as a type of sanctuary where we can go and run and pray out loud as we exercise and plan out our day together. I think everyone, regardless of where they live, should have a sanctuary. Some place where they can escape distraction and be alone with God. It’s proving to be crucial for us.

Churches Helping Churches.

We are joining efforts with another church from Louisiana called The Refuge. The church is a college campus outreach at LSU, and we are excited to meet them and help in any way possible. I’m not really sure what our role will be in serving with them, but we are going to show up. That’s usually a sufficient first step–show up.

House Church!

The church we host in our house is amazing! They are lovely people. Our conversations are a bit limited, but they are a fun, energetic bunch, and we enjoy sharing life with them. We are studying through 1 Thessalonians on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. We get together, sing hymns in Czech and English, eat bread with cheese, drink tea, pray, read the Bible, talk, and discuss politics.

Zoo!

Quinn and I went to the Prague Zoo a couple of weeks ago. It was fantastic! I felt as though I had been transported to another world. Crazy. They had a brand new baby ape on display which was actually pretty cool to watch roll around and interact with its friends.

Learning.

Sanctification is important. Along the same lines, developing a state of brokenness for those you hope to reach is likewise very important. I believe the two usually coincide. A broken and contrite spirit will lift and guide you through the difficult times and give you reason to continue on even in the face of heavy opposition or trial. Brokenness develops over time, much like sanctification, and, as a Christ follower, if you’re not longing for the Lord and for his people, than you’re probably still getting in the way. It should hurt. You should care so much for the people you interact with every day that it hurts. Get passionate, dig in, and work well. This comes from the Spirit, of course, so pay attention and pray. With time, I believe, this passion will come for all those who seek the Lord.

Pigeons and Bunnies.

A funny thing happened to us this morning.  As we were heading to the metro, we passed by one of our neighbor’s homes.  A cute old man (according to Quinn) came out and suddenly opened up his gate.  Not knowing a lick of English, he motioned with his hands for us to come in.  At first we thought we were going to get reprimanded again for something we had done wrong, until we saw the huge smile on his face as he brought us into his backyard.  That’s where he proudly showed us his nine baby bunnies, several forms of exotic birds in cages, and proceeded to make us stand inside his fully stocked pigeon coop!  He then abruptly showed us out his gate.  That was it.  It was so random and awkward but absolutely began our day on a positive note.  It’s encouraging knowing that people are willing to share with us even though we’re strangers from a strange land. Through his tiny act of kindness, the stage was set for the rest of our beautiful day. Take time to set the stage for others potentially beautiful days because you never know how you’ll impact those around you.

Lunch with Frank and Marian

We had lunch this afternoon with a missionary couple from Germany who have been living and working in Prague for the past 14 years. Their story was quite inspiring, and we were so encouraged by their lives and their joyful dedication to the people here. They have many great stories, and we’re looking forward to getting to know them more. They are dedicated to loving people regardless of time expenditure, circumstances, or outward results. They consider it a great privilege and success to simply be able to share Jesus with others, trusting that God will take care of the rest. They are praying for softened hearts.

On another note, the Czech Republic national hockey team won the World Hockey Championship last week. They defeated mighty Russia, and any time an underdog country can beat up on big, bad Russia, it’s a good thing. Congrats to them.

Until next time, we {love} you, we’re praying for you, ciao.