« November 2006 | Main | July 2007 »
June 27, 2007
Freedom Is Coming
Just under two weeks back from the Czech mission trip. Jetlag has worn off, and I am tired at the normal times again. I have been asked "how was your trip" dozens of times. You'd think I would have it boiled down to a quick, 45-second response. The trouble is, I'm not sure I could express it given 45 minutes.
Our team met last night for the first time since we returned. I asked them the question "what needs to stay vivid in your memory?" Blogging about the trip is part of keeping the memory alive for me. It forces me to collect and assemble my thoughts. I don't know what the result will be, possibly just a jumble of scenes. But then, that is a pretty accurate way to describe how I recall the trip.
We got off the jet in Prague excited but tired. It was 9:30 AM, but to our bodies it was 7 hours earlier. No one had been able to sleep on the planes (that would be very different on the way back). But despite our grogginess, we still had to scramble to get across town and catch a train that would take us to Zlin. We made it, and sat nervously on the train, wondering what was ahead of us.
A few hours later we were in our first Czech home, meeting the Mikucovi, a family who would serve as translators and help with logistics for our week. They had already been busy buying supplies and making many arrangements for our trip. Their apartment was tiny by American standards, everything served multiple purposes and there was absolutely no wasted space. The four of them lived in about 500-600 square feet, and they later told us that was quite large by Czech standards.
The next day we got to meet the Czech church at a special Sunday service and missions conference at a retreat center up in the mountains. Barry Dubuque spoke and encouraged everyone to evangelism, and talked about how God was answering their prayers for Him to work in Zlin. There was a communion service and several of the men in the church prayed blessing for our ministry. Also, this was the first time that we played music together since we had been in country. This was a little rough, but it allowed us to work out the bugs of our sound setup, and the church seemed to enjoy what we did, and kept asking us to do "just one more song."
Monday we started our main ministry in Zln. We did music and drama for about 3 1/2 hours in the park. Our music was in English--the main focus wasn't necessarily the words, but just to be a draw for people. As people would stop and listen, the "Czech team" as they were called--a group of local believers from the church and other ministries--would engage them in conversation. We shared testimonies and invited people to our "big concert" on Wednesday night at a place called (don't laugh) the "Masters of Rock Cafe." We spent Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoons doing music in the park.
The Rock Cafe concert was the largest event of the week. We were told afterwards by Samuel Ht (our main ministry partner) that it was the first evangelistic concert they had ever had in their city. The owner of the rock cafe was amazed that a group of Americans would pay their own way to come and put on such an event. Many young people came and heard a strong gospel message from a local pastor.
At other times during the week, we got to see some of the local sights, have some traditional czech meals prepared by Samuel's mother, and hang out informally with the Czech team. Throughout the entire trip, we saw much answered prayer. We created family-strong bonds with Czech believers with whom we could barely speak. Our faith was stretched, and we all grew. It was a joy to partner in ministry with them.
Leaving was a difficult experience. It was hard to believe how close we had become with the Czech team over such a short period of time. I believe the only thought in our minds for about the first week was that we wanted to go back. Knowing that we were returning to our lives, but that their lives would keep going on half a world away was hard. But we did end up back home, and our challenge now is to integrate this experience into our lives.
I don't want those nine days to become just a memory, something I remember fondly as I look back. Rather, I hope I see it as a turning point in my life. A time when I had to rely on God like never before, and that He proved Himself faithful. Something that motivated me to think outside of myself more, and to give me an urgency to share my faith. There is definitely a very lost world "out there," but there is also a lost worid right here, and both need to be reached.
Another question people ask me is, "have you recovered from your trip?" to which I always reply, "I hope I never do."
Posted by jvp at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)