We are all back at home now. Its been a long day! 7:30am Czech Time to 9pm DC Time.
Praises:
- We got to the airport (in Prague) early and realized that we forgot 2 bags at the hostel. We had enough time to get them *whew*
- We flew through security at London-Heathrow and made our 1 hour connection. And we had time to buy chocolate! (Gill was very happy about that)
- Despite some turbulence, the flight was smooth
God's been with us from beginning to end. :)
- Luice
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Friends don't say goodbye
Its our last night in Prague. Our flight is tomorrow afternoon. We spent the day sightseeing, shopping and hanging out with Jackie and some of the Czech students/leaders from the camp. Many of them live in Prague and wanted to hang out with us and show us the city. That was very sweet of them and made our trip all the more special.
I (Luice) am so surprised at how attached I became to these students. 11 days and I'm going to miss them dearly.
The trip couldn't have gone so great without your prayers. Ruth and I will be updating the blog once we return to the US to include more pictures and stories.
Please pray that we have a smooth flight and that we are able to transition and adjust back to our 'normal' lives but not forget or dismiss the wonderful and amazing things that God allowed to happen during this trip.
- Luice
I (Luice) am so surprised at how attached I became to these students. 11 days and I'm going to miss them dearly.
The trip couldn't have gone so great without your prayers. Ruth and I will be updating the blog once we return to the US to include more pictures and stories.
Please pray that we have a smooth flight and that we are able to transition and adjust back to our 'normal' lives but not forget or dismiss the wonderful and amazing things that God allowed to happen during this trip.
- Luice
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Picture Update
 |
| Ruth and I got separated from the hikers and we didn't know which way they went. |
 |
| Some of the praise band: Beny, Kuba, and Ety |
 |
| One of the activities was splash painting. Pollock style! |
Gospel Message - Thursday
Thursday was the day of sports (ultimate frisbee, petang, volleyball), Ruth and Luice singing 'By Your Side' with the praise band, and a long leaders meaning about Don's message to come. We prayed for specific students and the day in general.
Don gave the gospel message during the evening program. Before he went, Aya (one of the main Czech leaders) gave her testimony. It was heartbreaking what she went through but showed God's love and redemption.
On all the other days, during the evening program, the praise band would play mostly secular songs. But Thursday they really pulled out the praise/worship songs and really helped set the mood. And for me (Luice) really was refreshing.
Don and Jimi (the translator) worked great together. The message flowed and the translation was smooth. Afterwards we played some soft music in the background and invited them to stay and talk to the leaders or they were free to go and do what they wanted. This was the time for the Czech leaders to shine. Some of the American leaders approached students to pray for them and talk to them while the others silently prayed for God to be working.
There were great conversations going on, some more deep than others. And you could just feel and see God moving. And you could tell which students had the 'war' in them. Between themselves and God. We prayed fervently that God would win.
It was so cool to see the events of the past week just come together on this day. And the fact that the gospel message got moved to Thursday (rather than Wednesday as planned) was perfect too. The thunderstorms came just before we met and kept the students focused on the program.
Thank you so much for your prayers. That day was just so special and wouldn't have been possible without us being in the Spirit.
Don gave the gospel message during the evening program. Before he went, Aya (one of the main Czech leaders) gave her testimony. It was heartbreaking what she went through but showed God's love and redemption.
On all the other days, during the evening program, the praise band would play mostly secular songs. But Thursday they really pulled out the praise/worship songs and really helped set the mood. And for me (Luice) really was refreshing.
Don and Jimi (the translator) worked great together. The message flowed and the translation was smooth. Afterwards we played some soft music in the background and invited them to stay and talk to the leaders or they were free to go and do what they wanted. This was the time for the Czech leaders to shine. Some of the American leaders approached students to pray for them and talk to them while the others silently prayed for God to be working.
There were great conversations going on, some more deep than others. And you could just feel and see God moving. And you could tell which students had the 'war' in them. Between themselves and God. We prayed fervently that God would win.
It was so cool to see the events of the past week just come together on this day. And the fact that the gospel message got moved to Thursday (rather than Wednesday as planned) was perfect too. The thunderstorms came just before we met and kept the students focused on the program.
Thank you so much for your prayers. That day was just so special and wouldn't have been possible without us being in the Spirit.
Post from Wednesday
Wednesday’s topic was on relationships. We’ve been reading through a book called ‘The Little Prince’. The main character is looking for something because he is lonely and we really used that to form the evening program and discussion.
The night program was set up like an interview with Oprah. Jackie was Oprah and Bob was her special guest. In an interview style Jackie asked Bob about his testimony and how God repaired his relationship with his wife. Jackie also talked about a man and woman’s role in relationships (men = lead/pursue, women = follow), and she talked about the three-letter word (sex, which is the same in Czech surprisingly). Jackie closed with a story from her past that the students really appreciated and went well with the topic.
 |
| Jackie's Oprah Interview |
 |
| Man and Woman both trying to 'lead' the relationship = chaos |
To demonstrate the effect of relationships on us, she put 3 pieces of tape on a victim/student’s arm = scotch tape, electric tape, and duct tape.
- - Scotch tape = Surface level friendship/school friend
- - Electric tape = Deep friendship/close friend/best friend
- - Duct Tape = Romantic relationship with sexual intimacy
When each of those relationships break, its like the tape ripping off, it hurts. The scotch tape hurts a little, the electric tape a little more, and the duct tape a lot. And after she ripped off the duct tape she put it back on, ripped it off, put it back on. Eventually, it wasn’t sticky anymore. Showing that the power of sex to make 2 people all the more intimate stops working, so by the time someone gets married, it doesn’t fulfill its purpose of bringing 2 people together.
All 3 parts of the program worked really well together. And Jimi (the translator) was awesome. He was very enthusiastic and told the story with his actions as well as his words.
Afterwards we split into our groups (the same ones for English class) and asked questions like ‘What do you think about the roles of men and women in relationships.’ ‘What do you think about the Christian attitude towards sex’.
We gave them the option of splitting up into a large guy’s group and a large girl’s but for the most part they wanted to stay in the small groups. The discussions went really well.
For my group (Luice), it was the longest discussion we’ve ever had. We are allotted 30 minutes but are able to go to over, my group talked for 1.5 hours.
.... And thats it. Sorry for the awkward ending.
P.S. Nazdar Ameriko tady jsem. (Hello America here I come!) ß Written by Filip, one of the Czechs in Ruth’s group.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Snapshot of the Day
Here's a snapshot of our day:
- 7:30am - Leaders meeting where we pray and discuss the agenda for the day
- 8:30am - Breakfast
- 9:30am - 12:30pm - English class (Bob and Gill are leaders in one group, Don and Jackie are in another, Rachel is with Brian (The Scripture Union guy), and Ruth and I lead our own groups)
- 1:30pm - English Leaders Meeting - Where we debrief on how we are doing, pray for each other, etc
- 2:30 - 6:30pm - A large group activity (ie: hiking, sports, Scrabble in the Forest)
- 6:30pm - Dinner
- 7pm - 8:30pm - Rest
- 8:30-9:30 - Night time program (ie: Ruth and Luice' skit, Jackie and Bob's testimony, Don's gospel message - TODAY)
- 9:30 - whenever - Group discussions, chill and sleep
Please pray for Don, he gives the gospel message in 3 hours!
Pray for the students, that they have receptive hearts and have the faith to commit their lives to Christ.
Thank you!
P.S. I am writing this from a window sill at the camp. We found out that we don't need to go to the nearby penzion (hostel) anymore! yahh
- Luice
- 7:30am - Leaders meeting where we pray and discuss the agenda for the day
- 8:30am - Breakfast
- 9:30am - 12:30pm - English class (Bob and Gill are leaders in one group, Don and Jackie are in another, Rachel is with Brian (The Scripture Union guy), and Ruth and I lead our own groups)
- 1:30pm - English Leaders Meeting - Where we debrief on how we are doing, pray for each other, etc
- 2:30 - 6:30pm - A large group activity (ie: hiking, sports, Scrabble in the Forest)
- 6:30pm - Dinner
- 7pm - 8:30pm - Rest
- 8:30-9:30 - Night time program (ie: Ruth and Luice' skit, Jackie and Bob's testimony, Don's gospel message - TODAY)
- 9:30 - whenever - Group discussions, chill and sleep
Please pray for Don, he gives the gospel message in 3 hours!
Pray for the students, that they have receptive hearts and have the faith to commit their lives to Christ.
 |
| Leader's Meeting |
Thank you!
P.S. I am writing this from a window sill at the camp. We found out that we don't need to go to the nearby penzion (hostel) anymore! yahh
 |
| Luice on the internet via the window sill |
- Luice
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Monday and some more
Monday morning started out with thunderstorms but the sky cleared up by breakfast.
Our English classes went much better because we are becoming more comfortable with the students and they are opening up to us. Usually from 2:30-5:30pm there is large activity but because it was drizzling (yet sunny at the same time) they postponed the activity and the campers chilled and played some card/board games. Because of that postponement, we (the Americans) got the opportunity to back to our first penzion (hostel) to use their internet. This was great because we got to update our blog, check emails, do some research for our lessons for Tuesday and eat some amazing crepes. (Our waitress called them pancakes)
As a part of the evening program, each team had to act out something from the book we are reading with them (The Little Prince). Everyone was very imaginative and we all got to laugh, but it was also a good team building exercise. Gill’s team was great and they got Gill to be front in center in the skit! After that we had discussions in our groups, and a lot of them were very deep, personal and long. There are still some people, however, that are a little quieter and we are working on drawing them out.
 |
| Don playing a 'Baobab' during his team's skit |
Pray that we can continue to be an encouragement to the Czech believers here and that as we grow more tired throughout the week we will rely fully on God to give us strength to carry on.
Continue to pray for unity among the Czech and English leaders.
And pray for protection from spiritual warfare. Its cropping up in many ways = lack of energy, poor health, and lack of communication with expectation and rules. Pray that we deal with everything with wisdom and love.
Thank you so much for your prayers!
--Ruth and Luice
P.S. Tuesday’s program (with Ruth, Luice and Rachel) went really well. It was truly the Holy Spirit working, it worked better than we imagined. More about that later. Thanks for your prayers. The schedule has changed. Bob is speaking tonight and Don tomorrow. So be in prayer for them both. And pray for Jackie, she has a cold/cough.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday
First day of camp was today. We started our day at 7:30am with a leaders meeting (both Americans and Czechs). At 8:30 we had breakfast and then 9:30 kicked off our 3 hour English lesson. Don is with Jackie, Rachel is with Brian (the leader of the camp, who is British), Gill is with Bob, and Luice and Ruth both have their own group. In each group there are also those that speak Czech and English and are on the leadership team for the camp. Some struggles we faced were with comprehension in English, confidence in speaking, and not knowing how to draw them out. Today was a learning day, we are sure that it will only get easier and better.
We really enjoy the students, they are friendly and fun. We are excited to get to know them better so they won’t be afraid to use their English. Their ages range from 16 to 26 but mostly in their 20s. Their names confuse us because they have a Czech name, an English name, and then sometimes more than one Czech nickname. For instance, Jakub is the proper Czech name, but he can be either James or Jacob in English as well as being called Kuba, which is his Czech nickname. Add to that, there are three of them! So we distinguish them by beard, glasses, and tall. Haha
 |
| 3 Kubas = Glasses, Tall and Beard |
After lunch, we Americans met with Jackie during the rest time. At 2:30 we had our afternoon activity where we went on a “walk.” It was actually a hike and our destination was this forest where we played an intense form of scrabble. Everyone played in Czech but Rachel, Luice, and Ruth played in English. You had to run into the woods and find letters (only one per person at a time). Then you made a word that went on a giant scrabble board. We weren’t as intense as the Czechs, though, and they creamed us. It was fun to watch and we took pictures of them and the forest which was very beautiful.
 |
| Hiking |
 |
| Explaining Czech Forest Scrabble |
 |
| Our English words next to their Czech ones |
 |
| Getting Dinner |
In the evening we ate dinner and played some volleyball before the evening program where we sang English songs, and Luice and Ruth taught them the motions for Lean On Me. Then we read some chapters from The Little Prince and broke into our English groups to discuss some questions based on the chapters. We are learning that the Czechs love to debate and sometimes it’s hard for us.
 |
| Playing volleyball |
Please pray that we will continue to build good relationships with the students, and that all the students will feel like they belong. Pray for unity among the Czech and English leaders. Pray for Luice, Rachel, and Ruth as they run an evening program on Tuesday evening about identity. Pray for Don as he will present the gospel on Wednesday night and just that he will be prepared and that the students will be open to what he has to say. Pray for Bob as he will be giving a testimony on Thursday night. Pray for Gill as her stomach has been upset.
- Ruth
Saturday
9am is Sleeping In
We spent our first full day in CZ (Czech Republic) getting caught up on sleep. (Never again will we be able to sleep in till 9am). After a breakfast of rolls, sliced meats, cheeses, nutella spread, and sliced apples, we relaxed, updated the blog and waited till Jackie to bring us to the camp. The previous camp had ended and they were cleaning it and getting it ready for our camp.
We spent our first full day in CZ (Czech Republic) getting caught up on sleep. (Never again will we be able to sleep in till 9am). After a breakfast of rolls, sliced meats, cheeses, nutella spread, and sliced apples, we relaxed, updated the blog and waited till Jackie to bring us to the camp. The previous camp had ended and they were cleaning it and getting it ready for our camp.
 |
| Breakfast |
Jungle Speed
When we arrived there was still some clean up and preparations to do but we (the Americans) were encouraged to sit, rest and play games. We were taught to play Jungle Speed: An intense game involving cards with symbols and a wooden baton. The goal of the game was to get rid of you cards. The way you got rid of your cards was to grab the baton. You could only grab the baton if you had a card that matched someone else’s. The problem was, the symbols were complex and very similar. If you incorrectly grabbed the baton, you got all the cards. We slowly got the hang of it and really enjoyed ourselves. If we can find the game, we’ll definitely bring it back and teach everyone!
When we arrived there was still some clean up and preparations to do but we (the Americans) were encouraged to sit, rest and play games. We were taught to play Jungle Speed: An intense game involving cards with symbols and a wooden baton. The goal of the game was to get rid of you cards. The way you got rid of your cards was to grab the baton. You could only grab the baton if you had a card that matched someone else’s. The problem was, the symbols were complex and very similar. If you incorrectly grabbed the baton, you got all the cards. We slowly got the hang of it and really enjoyed ourselves. If we can find the game, we’ll definitely bring it back and teach everyone!
 |
| Jungle Speed |
 |
| The camp |
Icebreakers
The campers started arriving at 5pm. After settling in and dinner at 6:30pm we played ice breakers. Ice breakers like – 2 truths and a lie, the name game, and “people bingo”. Name game = they split us in 2 groups. Each group sent a representative and whoever was able to say the opposite team member’s name first won. “People bingo” (I made up the name) there were a list of characteristics and whoever got together the group with the right characteristics got a point. So people would get into groups like: 2 people like sushi, 1 person is blonde, and 1 person hates flying. The ice breakers were fun and really helped us get to know their names.
The campers started arriving at 5pm. After settling in and dinner at 6:30pm we played ice breakers. Ice breakers like – 2 truths and a lie, the name game, and “people bingo”. Name game = they split us in 2 groups. Each group sent a representative and whoever was able to say the opposite team member’s name first won. “People bingo” (I made up the name) there were a list of characteristics and whoever got together the group with the right characteristics got a point. So people would get into groups like: 2 people like sushi, 1 person is blonde, and 1 person hates flying. The ice breakers were fun and really helped us get to know their names.
 |
| During icebreakers |
Testing
After the ice breakers the campers were tested on their English. In order to place them in the right class, we had to test their grammar (with multiple choice questions) and their reading and comprehension. (They had to read a short story and explain what they read). While there was testing, there was also a fondue party. They dimmed the lights, played music, and served chocolate fondue.
After the ice breakers the campers were tested on their English. In order to place them in the right class, we had to test their grammar (with multiple choice questions) and their reading and comprehension. (They had to read a short story and explain what they read). While there was testing, there was also a fondue party. They dimmed the lights, played music, and served chocolate fondue.
That was basically the end of the night. The leaders met together (Czech and American) to discuss the day, plan the next day and put together the teachers for the English class. Lights out was supposed to be at 11pm but if you’ve ever had any experience with a camp, you know that seldomly happens. Most of us went to bed at 1am.
 |
| Fondue Night |
- Luice
Friday, August 6, 2010
We have arrived!
Hello from Jilemnice!
After getting delayed out of DC for an hour, flying 7.5 hours, a transfer in London, we arrived in Prague 15 minutes ahead of schedule! Praise God.
Unfortunately Jackie was delayed due to bad weather. We got to know the Praha airport quite well.
Next was a long rainy windy bus ride into the mountains to get to our pension (a hostel). We drove through some nice countryside, beautiful despite the rain.
Dinner was made from scratch. Some of us had potato/mushroom cream soup and some of us had lentil soup. Following that (much waiting in between courses, remember, its from scratch). 6 of us had potato pancakes filled with meat. Luice had chicken schnitzel.
We're going to camp tomorrow and we don't know if we'll have internet access for the rest of the week. Please pray for us: that we recover from jetlag, are flexible, and bond with the students and leaders.
Thank you!
- Luice
After getting delayed out of DC for an hour, flying 7.5 hours, a transfer in London, we arrived in Prague 15 minutes ahead of schedule! Praise God.
 |
| At Dulles Airport |
 |
| Reading the Little Prince (theme of the camp) |
Unfortunately Jackie was delayed due to bad weather. We got to know the Praha airport quite well.
 |
| Praha Airport |
Dinner was made from scratch. Some of us had potato/mushroom cream soup and some of us had lentil soup. Following that (much waiting in between courses, remember, its from scratch). 6 of us had potato pancakes filled with meat. Luice had chicken schnitzel.
 |
| Schnitzel |
 |
| Potato Meat Pancake |
Thank you!
- Luice
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Leaving Today!
I'm just counting down the hours now. Our flight leaves tonight. After a brief stop in London, we'll arrive in Prague Friday afternoon. After a whole night of travel it'll be good to relax and adjust. The camp doesn't start till Saturday afternoon.
Fun fact: The Czech Republic is 6 hours ahead of DC time.(Right now its 4pm)
Thanks for reading. Next time you read this, we'll be blogging from the other side of the world! :)
- Luice
Fun fact: The Czech Republic is 6 hours ahead of DC time.(Right now its 4pm)
Thanks for reading. Next time you read this, we'll be blogging from the other side of the world! :)
- Luice
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Background
What is the trip about?
Chantilly Bible Church heard that Jackie Cross was leaving the mission field (for health reasons) and wanted to send a team to serve along side her, to encourage her and to help her finish strong.
The team = Don Stone, Bob Pascale, Ruth Kalbskopf, Gill Kalbskopf, Rachel Pelfrey and Luice Woo (me!)
The camp, put on my Scripture Union, will consist of 40-50 young adults. We will be teaching English, holding Bible Studies and leading activities. We leave on Thursday August 5 and return Monday Aug 16.
The Czech Republic is largely atheist. There will be some Christians at the camp but most will probably be non-believers. Pray that we can exemplify Jesus Christ, communicate the gospel clearly and be truth and light to the people.
That's it for now!
- Luice
Chantilly Bible Church heard that Jackie Cross was leaving the mission field (for health reasons) and wanted to send a team to serve along side her, to encourage her and to help her finish strong.
The team = Don Stone, Bob Pascale, Ruth Kalbskopf, Gill Kalbskopf, Rachel Pelfrey and Luice Woo (me!)
The camp, put on my Scripture Union, will consist of 40-50 young adults. We will be teaching English, holding Bible Studies and leading activities. We leave on Thursday August 5 and return Monday Aug 16.
The Czech Republic is largely atheist. There will be some Christians at the camp but most will probably be non-believers. Pray that we can exemplify Jesus Christ, communicate the gospel clearly and be truth and light to the people.
That's it for now!
- Luice
Testing 1-2-3
Hello World!
Trip commences in t-minus 3 days. Our mission: To encourage and be a witness to the Czech students at the local summer camp.
Come back to keep up to date about what God is doing through us in the Czech Republic! We'll update as much as we can depending on time and internet availability.
- Luice
Trip commences in t-minus 3 days. Our mission: To encourage and be a witness to the Czech students at the local summer camp.
Come back to keep up to date about what God is doing through us in the Czech Republic! We'll update as much as we can depending on time and internet availability.
- Luice
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)