Learning the Best Ministry Tool

Tracy and Karna Steel serve in the Czech Republic with Youth for Christ:

We are so excited about our new ministry plan. We will focus primarily on developing relationships with teens from in and around our town and connecting them to our church. The connecting will be done through teaching in the English classes and helping in the physical education program at the local high school.

The weekly open gym nights, together with game-nights, movie-nights, and Club nights, are all places where we connect Czech kids with youth and youth leaders of our church. I say we because my own kids, as native speakers, are as valuable for improving English conversation skills as I am. They join me in many activities and are a key part of this ministry.

We're learning that the best ministry tool is building relationships with people and allowing the Lord to do His work as He sees fit.

Czech English Camp Update - June 22

After three days of camp all is going well. There are many returning students and a few new students. I feel this is an opportunity for God to pull together the strands that have been woven and bring to fruition seeds that have been sown in returning students' lives over the past few years. One student, a successful businessman who prior to his first camp had never held a Bible in his hand and had seen no need for God in the past has had some serious health problems which have helped him realize that he can take nothing with him. He told Bronek he is not here for the English; he is here seeking God. Even those who see no need at the time now know he is there when trouble makes their need apparent.

Our daily Bible studies are going well as are the workshops. We are as always inadequate for the task at hand which drives our dependence on the Lord deeper and from there greater confidence in what he will be doing. Additional prayer requests would be for the team to stay focused, for student hearts to be open, for the Spirit to reveal the love and Lordship of Jesus and for God to be glorified throughout. "May the Lamb who was slain receive the reward of His suffering."

Paul

Czech Team Update - June 21

The team arrived in Malenovice, Czech Republic, Friday afternoon [June 18] and everyone is well. We are experiencing a little jet-lag of course but settled in and ready for final preparations Saturday and student arrival on Sunday.

The team is very upbeat and while aware of the challenge of the week ahead, is confident in the grace of our Lord to see us through and to give the time eternal significance in the lives of many students. We were blessed that Bronek Lipus [the International Messenger national missionary] could meet us at the airport and travel to Malenovice with us. Both he and Larissa are on the mend as the doctors seem now to understand what is going on and can prescribe appropriate treatments.

The team is stretched thin this year as you know, and we would appreciate prayer for strength, endurance, and effectiveness. God is able to do more than we can ask or think and we pray that he will. We simply want to glorify Him and be poured out as a living sacrifice.

God bless,

Paul Rustebakke

Going Home

We had a great day today with our partner church in Trinec (Church of the Brethren in Trinec - Lyzbice). All I can say is "Wow!" They have done an incredible job on the facility they purchased around 3 years ago. They have taken an old, run down former communist era preschool building and turned it into an amazing center for ministry. I will post pictures later when I get home.

The main worship area has been transformed. It can seat around 80 or 90. They have put in a small stage up front, a sound room in the back, and even put up a copy of the Botts print from our church.

Downstairs they are creating a youth area where they can have a Friday night celebration club meeting. On the main floor they have leased out one wing to a local doctor (general practioner) and the other is used for the Christian Kindergarden (ages 3-5). The Kindergarden is absolutely beautiful, a wonderful place for kids to come.

Upstairs they have an office for their new Pastor, Slavoj, and two small classrooms where Bronek and Lorisa can teach English. There is additional room where they hope to one day build a flat (apartment) for the pastor and more room for another small conference room.

The vision of the church is to reach out to their community. By offering a Christian school, a doctor's office, and English classes, they make the church facility a place where their neighbors will feel welcome and at home. The neighbors are very glad the church purchased the facility rather than it being turned into a pub or other general business.

This August the church will hold their first English Day Camp. It is aimed at the children in the many flats (apartments) that surround the church. International Messengers is sending four Americans and the church will also provide some staff.

The church is also involved with other area churches in holding a citywide festival in September. This outreach event will be particularly aimed at young people and will include music, drama, and other events.

It is so good to see what God is doing through our partner church. Please remember to pray for them as they seek to do "prayer, care, and share" in their own community.

We leave at 6:15 AM tomorrow to take the 7:28 train to Prague. And we will leave very early on Tuesday to fly back to the States. I am sure this is the last time I will get a chance to post until Wednesday, so until then, thanks so much for your prayers.

The Final Day

The last two days have been a blur. But they have been very good.

Thursday we showed the short film Most (Czech for "Bridge"). It was a very powerful time. We had over half of the students attend, and the discussions about it were long and good. It is a powerful parable of the sacrifice God made to provide our salvation.

Today we concluded the camp with our Banquet, a time when we eat ice cream, watch skits by the English conversation classes, and give out their certificates and their presents from our team. Unfortunately, we experienced our fist real problem of the week: we were short 15 certificates. How embarassing! We will have to mail them as soon as we get back to the States.

We will spend time tomorrow cleaning up, debriefing, and visiting a local open air museum. We will also do a little shopping.

On Sunday we will attend services at our partner church in Trinec. I will preach, Paul will bring greetings, Pam will give the children's message, and Cathryn will give a testimony. After that, we will have coffee with the church and then have lunch. In the afternoon we will spend time with the elders of the church. If time allows, we may also stop by in nearby Cesky Tesin to see a Christian concert that is a part of a three day city celebration.

On Monday we will leave by train for Prague, and early on Tuesday morning we (except for Kent and Shannon) will begin our trip home by plane. We are scheduled to arrive at 2 PM in Cedar Rapids. Of course, with airplanes, everything is subject to change.

If I have time, I will post some pictures and stories about the week on Saturday. Otherwise, I will do so after I return to Cedar Rapids.

Thanks so much for your prayers. I have many stories to tell! This was a profitable year again and it was a real privilege to serve the students here at Malenovice.

Lysa Hora

We had great weather today for the hike up to Lysa Hora. Many on the team participated in this five hour hike. It was a great time with the students.

This evening we did something new (at least for me). We put up lyrics to Christian songs (such as "In Christ Alone") , played the song, and explained the words. It was well attended for being an optional event after a very long day.

The next two days close out the official part of the camp. Continue to pray for strength and endurance. Pray for us to be servants to those who are here.

Thanks for the Prayers

Paul said his presentation for a local company's board of directors went well. He had a lot of good questions. They will most likely get the book Good to Great now and read it. Thanks for your prayers. It was a very profitable experience.

My optional Bible study also went well overall. I think I stumped my translator a few times! But hopefully the message was clear.

Relationships are clearly beginning to form. So keep lifting us up and remembering our work here in the Czech Republic. We are continuing to pray for all of you and the recovery effort following the flooding.

Flexibility

There has been a change in plans. It is overcast and raining, so our hike up to Lysa Hora is postponed till Wednesday or Thursday. Paul's presentation will still happen, so we are adjusting the business workshops to compensate. Pray, too, for me as I now will be offering the optional Bible study, "Who are we and why are we here?," today instead of tomorrow as originally planned.

Monday Update

We are just finishing our first full day of camp. We have roughly 49 students (a few less than recent years) making the classes a little smaller -- which is not necessarily a bad thing!

Things have been going smoothly (though not too smoothly -- former teammates will understand what I mean!). As many as half of the students have been here before, which has allowed us to jump right back into some relationships we began in prior years. We already have had many great conversations with the students and the classes all seem to be going well.

Please pray for strength. Jet lag still is hindering a few of us, and spending time with the students hinders getting enough sleep! Pray too for boldness and the right words to say at just the right time.

Finally, pray for Paul. He has been offered a unique opportunity to give a workshop at a local company. One of the owners attended the camp twice before and has become a Christian. He wants Paul to do his "Good to Great" presentation to his board of directors to help them grasp the idea of servant leadership. While most of the students are climbing Lysa Hora tomorrow afternoon, he will be making his presentation.

That is all for now. I will try to post on Wednesday and perhaps even include some pictures.

The Week Ahead

We just finished a great day planning for the week ahead. Here is what we have planned (subject to change, of course!):

Sunday -- Students arrive, are tested, and we have our first meeting with all of the students. Oh, and don't forget the mandatory watching of the Czech vs. Turkey football (that's soccer for you Americans) match.

Monday to Friday

• 7:00 AM -- Team Meeting
• 8:00 AM -- Breakfast
• 9:00 AM -- English Grammar Class
• 11:30 AM -- English Bible Reading Class
• 12:30 PM -- Lunch
• 3:00 PM -- Optional Bible Studies (except Tuesday)
• 4:30 PM -- Business Workshops -- two offered simultaneously (except Tuesday)
• 6:00 PM -- Dinner
• 7:00 PM -- Conversation Class
• 8:00 PM -- Evening Activites

On Tuesday afternoon, many will hike to Lysa Hora, the top of the highest mountain in this region.

Friday evening will be our closing award ceremony and skits by the Conversation Classes.

Saturday morning the students leave to go home. We will spend the afternoon visiting a local outdoor "open air" museum of Czech buildings from over 100 years ago (similar to Usher's Ferry in Cedar Rapids -- if it still exists after the flooding!).

Sunday we will attend church in Trinec. We will give a testimony, the children's message, and I will give the sermon. We will then spend time with the church members and in the afternoon with the new pastor and the elders.

Monday we leave by train for Prague.

Early Tuesday morning we begin our flights back to Cedar Rapids, with our arrival currently scheduled for 2 PM.

Thanks for your prayers! I will post again most likely on Monday.

Safe in Czech Republic

Our Czech Business Camp Team made it safely to Malenovice. We are excited to be here and are looking forward to meeting the students on Sunday and getting things started.

However, our hearts and prayers are with those back in Cedar Rapids. We have seen online the extensive flooding and know that in various ways our families have been impacted. Please remember our families as they deal with things in our absence.

I will be posting updates throughout the week, so check back for more stories about this year's Business Camp.

English Business Camp

In about 5 weeks, I will be headed over to the Czech Republic. This will be my fifth visit since June 2004! We will join with our Project CR partner church in Trinec to put on our eighth English Business Camp at Malenovice. We will have 50 to 60 students from businesses in the area come to practice their English with native speakers. As we build relationships we will have opportunities to share our lives and our faith with each other.

If you are interested in helping support this endeavor, please contact me or send your support to International Messengers (put "Czech Camp Malenovice" in the memo).

Czech Team Pictures

The Czech Business English Camp team have posted pictures from the camp and their time in the Czech Republic on Flickr!. They hope to have some of the students also post their pictures on this website. Here is the link to the pictures: http://www.flickr.com/groups/englishcamp/

Here are a few pictures from Prague and the camp.

Leaving Teethmarks in the Czech Republic

Over the next few weeks I will be posting pictures and stories from our Czech Business Camp team. You can read the first one by clicking on this link and reading Erin's blog: http://fromthebirdnest.blogspot.com/2007/07/leaving-teeth-marks-in-czech-republic.html

Czech Team Safely Home

Even their return trip was not without adventure, but the team (except for Tom who is in Europe on a business trip) safely arrived home in Cedar Rapids this evening. I have already heard brief updates about the trip and can't wait to hear more. Here are a few pictures from their arrival. Enjoy!

Flight Delayed

The Czech team's flight has been delayed. The current estimated arrival time of 6:35 PM has changed to 8:15 and then to 7:00 PM -- so your guess is as good as mine for when they arrive!

You can look up the current status at www.aa.com for flight #4353 from Chicago (ORD) to Cedar Rapids (CID -- also called the Eastern Iowa Airport) to get the latest update on when to meet the team at the airport.

Czech Team in London

Hi,

Found a wi-fi hotspot with my Mac, so I thought I'd drop a quick email. We've made it safely to London. We are tired, but doing well.

We are supposed to leave at 11:40 am London time and arrive in Chicago at 2:10 pm Central time. Then hopefully Chicago won't be normal and we'll actually get out on time (which is 5:35) and be in Cedar Rapids at 6:35 pm.

That's it for now. Looking forward to seeing you soon!

-Erin

Czech Team Returns

The Czech Business Camp team is scheduled to return at 6:35 PM on American flight #4353 at the Eastern Iowa Airport.

Satuday Czech Business Camp Update

The picture at the left is of our partner church in Trinec. The team will be attending services there on Sunday. The picture below is of Prague at sunset.


Here is part of an update from Erin:

Close of camp went very very well. Today during debriefing we went
through each student and made comments about what we saw happen in their lives during the week. There were several that at the beginning of the week were declared atheists, but by the end they were really participating in the English Reading Time Studies, and some even coming to the Optional Bible Study. We definitely saw a lot of growth in people. Relationships among not only us and the campers were excellent (the many tearful good-byes revealed that), but among the campers themselves. It really was a wonderful camp. Now Bronek and Lora and Cindy get the fun of following up! :o)

I preach in the morning, so if you get this before 2:00 am your time [on Sunday], say a prayer for me. :o) Or maybe you should pray for Bronek since he has to translate me. There is a reason they put me with the highest level of English speakers, you know! :o)

We are catching the train at 6:00 am our time to head back to Prague on Monday. Pray that everything goes smoothly.

While this has been an awesome week, I am looking forward to seeing the staff again and especially seeing my family again. Give everyone my regards, as well as from the whole team.

On behalf of the 2007 English Camp team,
-E

Friday Czech Business Camp Update

Here is a short update from Paul:

THANK YOU for praying. I believe God has answered.

Today's Bible study on what it means to be a Christian was well done and well-attended with good participation.

We have seen some very good things the last couple of days. Students are open about where they are at spiritually, and are asking good questions provided heaven-sent opportunities to share the truth and love of Christ. My last two morning sessions have gone 30 to 45 minutes overtime (with everyone staying) and today a student wanted to continue the discussion at lunch (which we were late for). Others are reporting similar experiences either in class or in discussions outside of class.

Tonight is the banquet and end of camp. May the Christian students leave encouraged to grow in their faith, and may the others be encouraged to seek the Lord who gave them this week in His presence.

God bless!

Paul

These are pictures of last year's "banquet." The participants do not eat a meal. Instead it is a celebration time where the students eat a dessert and receive their certificate for attending the Business English Camp.