This is the Czech and American team for English camp.  This year's camp was awesome. Many of the kids continued to ask deeper questions about God, Jesus, and salvation. Continue to pray that the seeds that were planted would grow to maturity.  Throughout the week several kids asked for a Bible to take home and read.  Also, two different parents also indicated interest in attending the worship services at Runway.  Pray that these parents will follow through and that God will lead them to salvation.

Today Daniel (One of the camp leaders) spoke about the Bible and how it necessary for our spiritual lives: 1. To grow our relationship with God in a deeper way, and 2. To help us navigate this life on earth.  Please pray for these kids and their families that as they read the Bible, the Holy Spirit will convict them of their sin and help them to understand that Jesus loves them, died for them, and wants to have a relationship with them.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would help them realize their need for a Savior.

As I write this, it is early on Saturday morning, and we are headed home today. Please pray for us to travel safely. We already have been delayed from Prague - so pray that this delay does not delay us further from getting to Atlanta and home to Montgomery. Thank you so much for your prayers this week. It's bittersweet to leave such an incredible place and precious brothers and sister in Christ, but our team is tired and ready to sleep in our own beds.

Our team has really enjoyed coming to Brno and helping with the camp. On Thursday we continued to speak to the kids about the sin that we have in our life, but that God sent his only son, Jesus, to die in our place. We must place our faith and trust in him and believe that He the son of God and that he died and rose from the grave. The discussion groups have been full of kids asking many questions and many of them have asked to receive a bible. We got to play American football with the kids during our sports time. The English groups went well throughout the week.  Every year for camp on Thursday evening we invite the parents, grandparents, and other siblings to a grill party. We invite them to meet them, and also try to connect them to other activities and ministries at Runway.  Afterwards, Marek, one of the leaders of Runway, said that he spoke with two different sets of parents and they both indicated they would like to come to a worship service in Bystrc. This is great news because it means that seeds that we are sewing and planting are taking root and continuing to grow.  Pray for the last day that we will have more opportunities to talk with these parents and their kids.  Pray that after the camp, the Czech team is able to continue deepening these relationships and be able to continue to share the gospel.

On Wednesday we go to go see the new church that is being renconstructed.  It used to be a restaurant.  Taylor Road has been faithful to help support the purchase of the new building by sending a small gift to the church plant. We are grateful for a church that supports missions in so many different ways.  Below are some pictures of the current state of the building and other pictures to show what it will look like when it's finished. The church plans to open the "Runway Hub" at the beginning of September. This will help double the size of space they need as a church plant,
Pray that that church will be able to raise the money necessary to renovate and finish the purchase of the building. Pray that these new parents would come and hear the love of God and message of salvation.  GOD IS SOO GOOD!!

Every morning after the talk that we share with the kids, we have discussion groups that are focused on what the leader has shared and some questions to help the kids think about the existence of God. These discussions are slow at first but then kids open up and talk more and ask more questions. Several of them have continued to ask for Bibles.  This year God is really opening the eyes and hearts of the kids to consider what it means to believe in God. And how they should respond to God's plan and love towards them. Pray for us to continue to have open doors and the answers to the questions they have and want to ask us.

On Wednesday we even deeper in the discussion concerning the existence of Jesus and his time here on earth. Several more kids have asked for a bible. This is awesome that they are interested in learning and reading more about Jesus.  English lessons are going well and the team is working really hard. Continue to pray for us to have wisdom of how to answer the kid's questions and to make adjustments to English lessons as needed.  On Thursday we will have a grill party together and have invited the parents of the kids to come. This is our opportunity to connect with the families of the kids and invite them to other events at Runway happening throughout the next school year.

English camp is off to a great start. This year's theme is Investigation. We are investigating not only clues to solve a mystery, but also we are investigating the Life of Jesus. Today was the first chance we had to meet the kids and get to know them a bit. Some of the pictures are our interactions with them in English, games, small discussion groups, crafts or sports. Please pray for our team as we find ways to teach and explain the I AM statements of Jesus. Today, we had some introductory gospel conversations, which we pray will continue to deepen as the week progresses. Pray for openness and favor with these kids, many of which have never had an encounter with Jesus, the Bible or even Christians.  Thank you for praying for us and asking God to bless our week of camp. While we are a bit tired from the start of the week, we know that God will give us strength as He works through us and our Czech brothers and sisters. 

Video of Day 1 activities.

Lonnie shared his testimony of life before Christ, his encounter with Christ that led to salvation and surrender, and life after Christ. Stephen also preached at the Runway church plant service this evening speaking on John 10:1-15, when Jesus said, "I Am the door of the sheep," John 10:9. This week we are going to talk to the kids about the I AM Statements of Jesus as the kids investigate the life and character of Jesus this week. Can you guess the theme of the camp? Tomorrow is I Am the Bread of life, John 6:35 & I Am the light of the world, John 8:12. 

On Saturday, we continued our exploration around Prague seeing the Old town square where many historic events took place which shaped the direction of this nation.  Prague is home to some of the oldest structures in Europe.  We began the morning seeing the oldest functioning Jewish Synagogue in Europe. Behind us in the picture above is an astronomical clock that is the oldest in Europe. Every hour the skeleton chimes and the blue windows open to reveal the 12 apostles as they walk by the windows. Throughout the city there are many bold touches of Christian and evangelical influences that are embedded in the history of Czech lands.  What used to be one of the most protestant countries in the world back in the early centuries, has changed into a place of darkness due to consequences of religious wars, nazi domination and communism. These situations have squeezed the nation dry of spirituality, but God is doing a new work and gospel stories are emerging. God is working among the Czech people - people are seeking the Lord and turning to Christ, and churches are being planted in small and large cities. Continue to pray for a fresh wind to blow across this land and for revival to spark a flame of repentance and acceptance of truth once again. Jan Hus, a pre-reformation reformer said, "Therefore, faithful Christian, seek the truth, listen to the truth, learn the truth, love the truth, tell the truth defend the truth even to death."  Jan was burned at the stake in 1415 for his faith.

Thursday, July 10, 2025

We spent the good part of today at the JOS school that is run by Pastor Peter and his wife, Mary. We did our VBS lesson and song with the kids (about 320 total), played games, and gave them soccer balls and jerseys.

Tonight, we fly out of Nairobi at 10:45pm (Nairobi time) to begin about 30 hours of travel. Pray that all of our flights will be smooth and that we won’t encounter any delays or problems.

We will see you Sunday!

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Early this morning, our team left Narok and headed back to Nairobi. We spent the morning ministering to the children and teachers at Patris Learning Centere. Amber, Paul, and Christi led the kids in Bible stories, music, and games. 

We want you to know, church, that your giving has helped make today possible. Because of your generosity through tithes and offerings, our church's VBS was made possible a few weeks ago and the same curriculum was brought to Kenya and used with the children here! Because you give, the lives of children all over the world are being changed!

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Our team has had a full day of ministry in Narok, Kenya. This morning, we visited a local men’s and women’s prison and met with some of the staff. Pastor Daniel preached a short message at the men’s chapel service and Christi shared words of encouragement with the women. We were able to purchase some handmade floor rugs that the female inmates have made and will be sharing some with our church family. 

This afternoon, we wrapped up our Pastors Conference. Pastor Daniel continued his seminar on Expository Preaching and Christi Millo taught a seminar on Prison Ministry. We were blessed by the attendees with traditional Maasai gifts and presented certificates of completion to all of the pastors and ministers.

Monday, July 7, 2027

Today, our team was in the city of Narok for our Pastor Training Conference. We had a great turnout of around 50 pastors and ministry leaders. Some pastors traveled over an hour to attend. Pastor Daniel taught a seminar on Expository Preaching, Paul Millo taught on Creating a Volunteer Culture, and Amber Russell taught on Children's Ministry. Tomorrow, we continue our conference. Pastor Daniel will teach another preaching course and Christi Millo will teach on Prison Ministry. We are also planning to visit a local prison.

Sunday, July 6, 2025

Today, our team had the wonderful opportunity to worship with our brothers and sisters at "EWCA" Church. Pastor Daniel preached a message from Psalm 57 and the children of the church absolutely loved the members of our team. After church, we drove several hours through the Rift Valley to a city called Narok where, on Monday, we will begin our Pastors Conference.

Pastor Daniel will teach on "Expository Preaching", Paul Millo will teach on "Building a Church Volunteer Base," Christi Millo will teach on "Prison Ministry," and Amber Russell will teach on "Childrens Ministry."

Pray for the nation of Kenya today. There are nationwide anti-government protests happening and we pray that they would not be violent and that it would not hinder our conference from taking place.

Saturday, July 5, 2025

After an 8-hour layover in London, England, our team finally arrived in Nairobi this morning around 5:30am (Nairobi time). We were greeted by two of our ministry partners here in Kenya—Dr. Nathan Chimora and Pastor Peter. Thankfully, we have been able to catch up on some much-needed sleep today and, tonight, we will enjoy dinner together.

Tomorrow will be the beginning of a jam packed few days. Because our original plan of spending 7 days doing ministry has been shortened to 5, we are trying to cram in as much as possible. Pastor Daniel will be preaching in a local church in Nairobi Sunday morning and then we will travel a few hours to a city called Narok where we will lead a Pastor Training Conference. 

How you can pray:

• Pray for safe travel to Narok
• Pray for all of the pastors attending the conference. Many will be traveling long distances.
• Pray for Pastor Daniel, Bitrus Cobongs, Amber Russell, and Paul and Christi Millo as we all lead various parts of the conference.

Our  team's trip didn't quite get started as planned but, as we are learning, God is good and wise and sometimes our hearts and attitudes need a little more adjustment before we are ready to be used by Him. On Tuesday evening, our flight from Atlanta to Newark, NJ was diverted to Washington, D.C. where we wound up spending the night. We were told that there were no flights going to Nairobi until Sunday. Wednesday morning, we arrived back at the airport to try and catch a flight back to Atlanta so that we could regroup and come up with a new plan. To our surprise (but not to God's!), the ticket agent booked us a flight leaving Thursday evening for London where we will catch a connection to Nairobi.

What you can pray for on Thursday:

• Pray for no delays or complications 
• Pray for our team's stamina and strength as we head into 16 hours of travel

-Pastor Daniel

The last couple days of our time here in NYC have been busy! But that’s exactly what we came here to be! We’ve served in schools, helped organize and make Easter eggs. We’ve given out hotdogs and popcorn to the community. We’ve given out food at a pantry. We’ve given out coffee and pancakes. And in all of it, we were able to be the hands and feet of Jesus, loving and serving the community of Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Thank you for your prayers. God was faithful to keep us unified and motivated the entire week. We leave, but Swerve Church remains to be the light of Jesus to their community.

Please continue praying for them as they reach their neighbors with the gospel!

“We don’t simply go to church - We are the church and exist for the world.”

One of Swerve Church’s values is SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. Swerve Church exists to be the hands and feet of Jesus to its neighbors. It is our privilege to be those hands and feet for Swerve. Whether it’s painting apartment floors, organizing school supplies, or handing out free snacks and invitations, we are able to play a small part in reaching Bushwick for Jesus. Please continue to pray for us! Over the next couple days we will be serving in other local schools and doing block parties for the kids and teens of the community. Pray for our love to abound for one another and for those around us!

Thank you for the prayers! We arrived safely yesterday! Last night we enjoyed Time Square and got settled in our housing for the week. This morning we worshiped with Swerve Church, the local church plant we’ll be serving this week! Please be praying that God will use us to impact the Bushwick, Brooklyn community. Swerve Church are the soldiers on the front line. We are here to assist them in any way they need us! Pray for unity, love, and flexibility to be key markers for our group! Pray that we will keep the mission first in our minds even as we enjoy this amazing city!

Pray with us as our student team travels to NYC today. This week they will be serving in the Bushwick neighborhood at Swerve Church. Pray for the local people to be open to speaking and hearing the gospel this week.

Check back for daily updates!!

We have come to the last day of camp!  Pray for us as we travel home on Saturday that we would have no problems.  And that we too will arrive home safely!

Pavel Jr. - on the right (who is the son of one of the Elders of Runway - Pavel Sr., who led us in the Lord's Supper at the church plant) shared about a time when he had an emergency on the side of a mountain and had to call for a helicopter to rescue his friend. He shared with the kids that the helicopter came and the rope was too short, so they called a 2nd one and that one took his friend to the hospital for surgery.  In the end the friend was rescued and saved from his injuries.  In life we are also on a journey, and we have to realize that we have a problem in our heart. In the situation that Pavel was in, they tried to come up with their own solution and didn’t want to admit they had any problems after his friend got hurt.  If they didn’t call for rescue, Pavel's friend would not have gotten the help he needed to save his friend’s life.  

Pavel shared with them that we all have a problem, and it is called sin.  There is no one we can call help us, except Jesus.  He came and died for us and paid for our sins.  We have to call upon God to save us from our sin.  Pray for these kids to have an understanding of the gospel and choose to believe.  We were able to be apart of the discussion groups in some way through out the week.  The discussion groups are in Czech - which is the best for the kids to hear about God in their own language.  Today the kids were mostly silent and did not answer the questions, but we know and trust that God will work in their hearts and lives long after the camp. Pray for these kids to connect to the various activities and clubs that are offered at Runway, and that God will use the activities to further spread the gospel.

We met a man who reads the radio waves and he put the radio pieces together for us.  The rescue team gave us coordinates, where we would be rescued and taken back to an airplane. Lonnie and Stephen got to be a part of the rescue team.  We arrived back at the plane where we took off and arrived to the Olympics.  This week we solved many challenges, but learned that God is always there to help us in these challenges we have in our lives. It has been a great week. Continue to pray for God to work in the ministry of Runway Bystrc.

Today we are back to our normal camp schedule with crafts, games, English, and daily talk with discussion groups.  Judit, one of our Czech team leaders, spoke today.  There are many important people in our life - doctors, teachers, etc.  Who do we need the most?  It is impossible to choose.  She shared that Jesus fulfills everything that we need in life. We can turn to him for help with anything.  She also used an example of someone, who has huge debts to pay, but cannot pay it.  These debts can be likened to sin in our life.  The payment for sin is death, and God sent Jesus to pay this debt for us.  Pray for these kids to understand why it is important to call on God for help.  Pray for them to recognize their need for Jesus.

The campers explored various parts of the map of the island in order to plug in the radio to find a signal.  They lost the signal and have to find it again.  They learned they cannot do it alone and need each other's help.  

Later in the evening we invited all the parents of the campers to come to a grill party.  Grill parties are common in the summer time.  It is a chance for Czechs to enjoy the outdoors and spend time together.  This grill party is an opportunity for us and our Czech partners to connect with families and invite them to activities that happen through out the year - clubs for kids and youth, mom's club, worship services, English evenings, etc.  Pray for these families to have the desire to connect to Runway thru these activities.  Relationships are so important and connections are key to go deeper in gospel conversations. Pray for our team as at the end of the week we are pretty tired.  

Today was day 3 of our English camp and we are halfway through this year's camp.  One day during the week a cypher (like a scavenger hunt, except with clues and some story) is organized.  The kids with their teams went around Bystrc solving different activities in order to find pieces of a radio in order to contact the outside world and resume their journey to the Olympics.  They also earned more pieces to the big map.  It is a fun day because we follow a different schedule than normal.  

It is also an opportunity to have more conversations with the kids as we go along to solve the clues.  Some of the older boys discussed with their leaders about what happens when we die and they have never considered this question before.  Many of these kids come from families that are not religious and don't have idea or knowledge of Christianity.  Sometimes gospel conversations are slow to develop or kids take time to open up.  This is why relationships are so key.  So that year after year you can go deeper and deeper until the gospel is fully understood and accepted or rejected.  Lostness is great here, but God is working in people.  

This week we have learned that one girl from the church plant youth group trusted the Lord for Salvation and is being discipled. This is a huge answer to prayer.  Continue to pray specifically that God will be able to penetrate the hearts of the kids and open their eyes to understand the gospel. Today we heard from Lukáš (Luke) about how God created the world and everything that we see.  It is written in the Bible that the sky, ground, clouds, even us, were created by Him.  It shows us the path of life and the only way to find God. Pray for these kids to hear us speak about God and His love and be open to knowing more. 

Tomorrow is our grill party at 5pm after camp.  We invite the parents to come and see what the kids have been doing.  We always prepare some program including pictures of the camp. Pray for us to connect with families in order to invite them to other activities that Runway is doing through out the year.

Bara is leading the camp with her husband Daniel.  She is Marek's daughter.  Marek is one of the Elders of Runway and shared yesterday.  Bara spoke about a time in her life when she was lost and could not find her way.  She had no phone or map.  She was scared, but asked the kids had they ever experienced something like getting lost.  Bara talked about how in life we can feel lost or not know the answers to life's questions.  Whether lost in the woods, or lost in life, what do we do when we are lost, or who do we talk to, or who can we turn to?  Bara shared that the Bible is the true map and we can only turn to God for help.  

Each day we hope to go deeper in conversations with the kids.  After the short lesson, the kids break up into discussion groups and talk about what was shared.  Pray for these kids to be open to have spiritual conversations.  Pray for them to understand that without God they are lost and need salvation in Him.  We want them to understand that God loves them and wants to have a relationship with them.

The kids met a mysterious man on the island (the one on the right).  Eventually, after much conversation and solving riddles, we received a map from him to help us on the island. Unfortunately, the map was blank and the kids had to earn diamonds to buy pieces to the map.  Furthermore, because they were not able to get off the island, they had to create a shelter for themselves.

From our team:
Lonnie - This week God has shown me the power of His love through His children, fellow believers and how wide the world truly is! The Czech believer is so reliant on God's sovereignty. Everything they encounter always ends with "If it is in His plan."  And it is encouraging for myself when I come home to the chaos and speed of American culture and the life of being an adult, I too can say when I meet a problem, "If it is in His plan." Amen!

From Josh - I am so happy to be here in the Czech Republic.  The kids in the beginner English classes were so excited and willing to learn English words.  The advanced English class was so willing to have a great conversation about the English topics we had for them to learn.  Both classes loved the different games we played with them.  This trip has made my love for Jesus Christ grow spiritually in an impactful way.  Meeting the Czech team and kids has opened my mind and heart to serve people even more in my life.  I am so thankful and grateful to be in CZ to experience God's love and grace in Jesus Christ.

From Noah - Being raised in the Bible Belt, Christianity and going to church is just a part of the culture.  But here it's so different.  Here if you're a Christian you're not like everyone else, you are truly counter cultural. As a Christian in Czech Republic, you are set apart.  That's what God calls us to be.  So it's just really inspiring to see people who are on fire for God and disconnect from the spiritual outside world.  And getting to serve with them is just amazing and really changes your perspective on life.

This week we have the opportunity to build relationships with 36 children, who have come to English camp, the most we have ever had.  The theme of this year's Challenge Camp is about traveling to the Olympics.  I have included more pictures of today on my Facebook page.  To summarize the kids are divided into 4 teams, each team representing a country.  These 4 teams will compete through out the week to earn points for their team.

Today they earned a flight ticket on Runway Airlines to fly to the Olympics with their team. However, on the way to Paris, they experienced a plane crash and became stranded on a remote island.  What will do now?  Throughout the week they are going to go through many challenges to get off the island and finally arrive at the Olympics.

This afternoon Marek (One of the Czech leaders) shared his testimony of various challenges he has faced in his life.  He spoke of a time when he was searching for answers to all of life's questions.  He asked the kids, if they ever have faced great challenges or have questions about what happens to them when they die?  

Each day we want to get closer and closer to helping the kids understand the One, who can help them in their challenges and the One, who can answer all of their life's questions and most of all redeem them from their sin. His name is Jesus.  We will share the gospel with the kids and help them understand the love that Jesus has shown to them.  Pray for us to have wisdom and the right words.  Pray for the kids to be open and listen as God plants gospel seeds in their heart.  Many of these kids have returned year after year to camp.  Pray for the seeds that have been planted to grow and bear fruit.

Finally, tonight we had the opportunity to explore downtown Brno.  We got to see the main castle, which is the small fortress in the background of this picture.  The sun was going down as we stood in the old town hall tower overlooking the city.  As I stood there, I began to think about the multitudes of people in the city, who are lost and desperately need to hear the gospel spoken to them.  Pray for the churches in Brno to be bold in sharing their faith.  Pray for the people in this city to turn to Christ for salvation.  God is working here!

In the morning we attended Brno Baptist church (top picture).  It was a dear joy to see these dear brothers and sisters again.  Pastor Stephen was able to share some encouragement from John 13:31-35, and challenged the Brno church to continue to serve and love others the way Jesus did.

I was able to preach more on this topic on Sunday evening at the Runway church plant (2nd picture) in Bystrc.  These dear brothers and sisters are our extended family.  They are working diligently to continue the vision of planting a healthy sustainable church in Bystrc.  It was a joy to encourage them from John 13 to love and serve others in humility.  We also got to share the Lord's Supper with them (3rd picture).  This was a special time.  There is a young lady that has been attending the youth group at the church plant and she recently trusted in the Lord as her Savior.  There are others that are attending, and God is working in their hearts to bring them to salvation.  Pray for Bára as she grows in her new faith.  

As you can see in the picture the church plant has a very small space.  They have the opportunity to potentially buy a space that used to be a restaurant. This would provide more space for them.  It is a lot of money and Satan is fighting them.  Pray for unity in the main church as the decision to buy this space must come from the main church.  Pray for God to provide financial resources.  Pray for wisdom for the leaders of the church as they seek the Lord's will in this endeavor. 

This afternoon we finished setting up tents for the English camp to start tomorrow.  The camp is all day from 7:30 to 4:30.  We will teach English, kids will do crafts, there will be games, and most importantly there will be opportunities to share the gospel with the kids and talk to them about Jesus.  Pray for us to have favor with the kids as we build relationships with them.  Many of the kids that attended camp last year are coming back and this is great for relationships.  We set up a few tents for the activities.  Kids will be competing in 4 teams to get to the Olympics.  There will be challenges along the way, they will learn that God can help them through any challenge they face.