Sunday - Worshipping in Czech

It was a joy to worship with our Czech brothers and sisters in Brno.  On Sunday morning we attended Brno Baptist Church – the only Baptist church in the heart of the city.  There are two other church plants on the outskirts of the city.  One is Runway-Bystrc, where we are conducting the English camp. My heart (Stephen) was filled with great joy and lots of emotion as I got to re-unite with these dear friends and introduce our team to them.  This was our church family for 7 years while we served in Brno with the IMB.  I was able to give a testimony about our transition to America and the challenges we have walked through this past year as they have diligently prayed for us.  I was also able to encourage the church to continue in the work that God is doing in Brno and to remember Psalms 24:8, which says "Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle", as God fights for them.  The church is very thankful that we have come to help them with the English camp.

The church service was filled with some worship songs that we recognized, having sung them in America, and some songs which were original Czech worship songs. We stood for a time of prayer and all across the congregation different people one by one prayed out loud. We spent some time praying for this week’s camps as well as praising God for all He has done in our midst.  Pastor Petr began a new series on prayer and focused on Jesus’ desire to teach his disciples how to pray.  We started with “Our Father” and talked about the importance of God as our Father as we walk in relationship with Him.  Saying “Our Father” means that we accept God as sovereign and Christ’s sacrifice, which the Father has provided for us. God is the Creator of all people, but only some call him ‘Abba Father’ and are extended the privileges of adopted heirs.

The afternoon was filled with getting the camp ready and completing the final preparations. We built tents for the main program, for crafts, and two smaller tents for English classes. It was amazing to see the spirit of the Czechs as they put up heavy tents that will serve as classrooms. Our prayer on Sunday was that God would unite both our teams as one and he has certainly answered our prayers. Together with our Czech partners we were able to get everything prepared and ready for the first day of camp.

In the evening we were able to worship with the church plant in Bystrc. This was a sweet and informal time of worship and praise, prayer time, and hearing encouragement from God’s word. Stephen shared from Exodus 16 and 17.  God always knows what we need, and he will provide for us. He has provided additional believers to join the work that God is doing in Bystrc. This is an awesome answer to prayer.  Second, the battles and challenges we face do not belong to us; they belong to the Lord.  He wants to fight for us and He only wants to be still before him and not try to fight them on our own.  As our brothers and sisters work to spread the gospel in Bystrc, God has provided for them in abundant ways.  Pray for the team in Bystrc to continue to trust God for His provision and to look to God to fight for them as they work to spread the gospel in this city district - Bystrc.  We ended our time together by praying for the kids coming to camp.

Noah says,
"Something that really impacted me was the worship service.  I LOVE the way Czech people pray, it's so amazing, and it felt like they weren't just praying to pray, but actually talking to God and wanting to.  And I loved how they sang some songs we know, but in their language. It was just a great reminder that God isn't just working and moving in America; and He's not just for America either; He's for everyone!"

Elizabeth says, 
“My favorite thing from yesterday was hearing the songs that I sang as a child
and singing them in a completely different language was so cool.”

Dontralisa says,
“My favorite thing yesterday was when an older lady in the Brno church came up to me. She did not speak any English, but gave me a hug out of nowhere. She was so excited and welcoming and expressed her gratitude for us coming all the way from America to help the children."

Mickey Ann says,
“My favorite thing yesterday was listening to the worship service online, while I was recovering from being sick, and even though I didn’t know the language, I could worship anyway and understood through the Spirit.”

Lorraine says,
 “As we traveled to church on the bus, I enjoyed seeing the countryside and architecture as I quietly spent some time praying for the passengers getting on and off the bus.
Singing praise songs alongside Czech Christians was a joy.”