EuroCamp Video Released

According to The Rambler Online, the Czech Republic is the second most atheistic country in the world, only behind Estonia. It’s estimated that 65 to 85 percent of Czechs don’t believe in God or abstain from affiliation with any organized religion.

And yet God is actively pursuing hearts in this Eastern European nation still affected by the lingering effects of Communism. The Wesleyan Church has a presence in Brno, the second largest city in Czech, and each year North Americans have the opportunity to see firsthand the fruit of that ministry.

EuroCamp is an English and sports camp where relationships are built and God is talked about. North American volunteers can travel to Czech on a two-week trip to help staff this evangelistic camp alongside the leadership of Czech believers and American missionaries.

Through partnership between the Department of Communications (DOC) and Global Partners at The Wesleyan Church World Headquarters in Fishers, Indiana, DOC employee Tricia Allen traveled with the 2009 EuroCamp team to document the camp through stories and photos. A blog site and informational video have been created to cast vision as to how God is changing hearts in the Czech Republic.

Registration for the 2010 camp is now open. To gain more information about being part of the 2010 EuroCamp team, visit the provided links above.

Lessons Learned in Czech

Here it is, a month after my return from the Czech Republic and I have yet to write my own personal reflections. That’s inexcusable, considering I was the official blogger for our team of North Americans.

I’d like to say it’s because I’ve been chewing on what to say these last four weeks. While that’s partially true, I’m fully guilty of placing this task on the to-do list in my yellow notepad, saying, “Tomorrow. I’ll get to it tomorrow.” Every day that passed, it never got crossed off my list.

Thankfully, “tomorrow” is here. And actually one good thing to come of my procrastination is that I did (maybe with a little help from the Holy Spirit!) think up some captivating reflections. At least I’d like to think so.

Three words capture this “media lady’s” 2009 EuroCamp experience. (Gotta love the name given to me by our Czech friends before I even landed on their soil. )

Journey

No matter where a person is on the “God-spectrum,” an interested heart is on a journey to know Him, whether for the first time or as a long-time Christian. After all, didn’t the Father create us with a God-shaped hole that will always feel empty until we come to Him through Christ in relationship? If a camper at the 2009 EuroCamp heard the gospel for the first time during an evening rally in Svratouch and is still thinking about who God is, he (or she) is presently on a journey with Him.

How about me? I’m still on the journey, even though I’ve known God for ten years. Presently, I’m in one of the biggest journeys of my 29 years when it comes to my faith and asking Him to move in ways in which only He can.

A journey is a process and we’re traveling on one whether we realize it or not.

Stirring

The next time you’re sitting outside on your front porch or back patio and all is quiet, listen to the gentle breeze surrounding you. I wrote in my personal journal on August 12, 2009, while our team was still in the country:

“God is stirring up hearts here, moving even when we don’t see it or sense it. We must trust that He is like the wind here, moving like leaves on trees, whether quietly or restlessly.”

I created a blog post about this very thing while I sat in the back of an English class at camp.

Relationships

Life is about relationships.

We see this modeled in the most perfect relationship (the Trinity: God, Jesus, Holy Spirit), and even in the way God pursues a relationship with us, His children. What good is life if we’re constantly on the go, consistently in task-mode, and have no one on this earth who knows us deeply? We weren’t meant to live this life alone.

I’m an extremely relational being. One of my favorite things to do is sit with someone and engage in meaningful conversation. Nine times out of ten, that’d be my first choice when it comes to spending time with people.

Relationships endure through the good, bad, and ugly. No, scratch that. We need people as we walk through life circumstances. In fact, we’re called to “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). Permit me to share a few examples below.

Last weekend I drove two hours to my old “home” of Dayton, Ohio, to celebrate a friend’s 30^th birthday. In four hours’ time, I laughed and talk to numerous friends, and my heart returned to Indianapolis full of life.

I have a friend who has been diagnosed with cancer and starts chemo treatment tomorrow. She’s 29 years old. I plan to visit her in a few weeks, and the opportunity to encourage her in person has never seemed so important.

Tomorrow, I’m headed to Texas to see three of my closest friends. These women bring life to my spirit and to sit on each of their couches and talk, laugh, cry, and pray together is something I’ve looked forward to for weeks.

I have a family member who has endured the toughest 21 months of her life, one full of loss. To love her in the midst of shattered dreams has brought incredible life to my heart and taken our relationship to new levels of depth.

Why wait for tragedies and curve balls to let others know how much you care for them? Approach relationships with urgency, excitement, and expectation. Invest in lives, minister to others, and love people.

That’s the gospel lived out, and my greatest lesson learned through my trip to Czech. Individuals see Christ in us as we engage in relationships with them. They have an encounter with Jesus just by spending time with us.

You may never know the eternal impact you’ve had on a soul just by spending time with someone.

–Tricia Allen

Beth Wooters: EuroCamp 2009 Personal Reflection

This last trip to the Czech Republic was my second and (hopefully) not my last! My time in the country has been so amazing and my heart is there. I love how the missionaries and national church leaders truly work together, showing the world how the Body of Christ can and does work together in spite of differences.

This isn’t just a place where you go and do a vacation Bible school and meet a few people and then go home never to hear from them again. You go to help with what is already being done there, not to start something new. Christianity is still just coming back to the surface after the fall of Communism, and people aren’t just ready to jump at any new idea you give to them; their life is fine just the way it is. What do they need God for?

The missionaries and church leaders are all about building relationships on truth and trust, showing people through word and deed that God is real and very important to their lives. Our EuroCamp team from North America was there not only to meet people and build our own relationships but to also make even more connections between Czechs and those who serve at Majak ministry center.

This was not easy though; God has a way of showing who you really are at the worst of times but it is ok. God has done great things in the lives of people when they are willing to be totally used by Him, and it is completely worth it.

I have many stories and memories from camp but one story that stands out to me was the night of the late night hike (literally after bedtime hours). Camp leaders blind-folded each group of campers and team captains and drove us somewhere with a map and a compass and said, “Find your way back to camp”.  So at 1:00 a.m. my team was walking and it started to rain. We were cold, and I was so afraid that my group was going to be upset and just fuss the whole way back. Instead, one of the girls pulled out her cell phone and started playing music. We kept singing camp songs over and over at the top of our lungs, made up a story, and they taught me some Czech words (which didn’t go over so well, but we tried). Did we win the game? No. Did we have any fun that night? Oh, yes!

If you are thinking at all about being a part of EuroCamp for next year please pray about it and go for it.

If it’s God’s will He will make it work out. Just be ready and willing to be stretched and changed by God and you will have the time of your life meeting some of the greatest people in the world.

Beth Wooters (right), a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University, is pictured with Jane, a 2009 EuroCamp camper.

EuroCamp Personal Reflection: Jason Shambach

Euro-Camp helped me learn so much about myself, about relationships, and even about postmodernism as a cultural way of thinking. Since Euro-Camp was a time of intense social engagement with youth from another culture, I expended a lot of energy relating with people. In the process, I found myself longing for some time to “get away from the crowds” like Jesus Christ did.  Every morning I spent some time to be quiet and listen to God and prepare myself for the day’s relationships. At the end of my time, I understood that this time alone was a responsibility for me in order to relate with people well and be an example of Christ’s love for all.

The results were personally rewarding but more importantly, they glorified God. I was able to relate well with campers on a personal level. Through my time spent with God and my social and mental preparation, I felt like I could relate spiritually with campers as well. I was able to have many conversations with campers who were now becoming my friends—not just conversations about the weather or our hobbies, but about some deeper matters. We talked about issues like sin, faith in Christ, and hope in the Resurrection. I understood, however, that the trust for having these sorts of conversations happened because of my interest in Czech history, my attempts to learn the Czech language, and my fascination with Czech’s beautiful country. Relationships, I think, should be holistic, and so it was natural that I would converse with my Czech friends about many things and not just be on a quest to proselytize.

Some of the most rewarding times were actually when I just got to listen and ask questions. Then I was able to hear their cares and concerns and sometimes their needs, with the help of the Holy Spirit who just encouraged me to stay silent and let my friends talk through their thoughts. It was in these moments when I realized the significance of our cultural differences and began to understand a little more about postmodern culture, for instance.

The Holy Spirit–and learning about His work­–is one of the last great lessons I learned about relationships and the way God works. I saw insightful conversations happen, and I know that the Holy Spirit was in it. He gives illumination and understanding and if my Czech friends are to become Christians, it will be because of Him and the faith He gives. I have made some friends in Czech, and I continue to pray for them and talk to them through e-mail and Facebook.  In a sense, my mission trip continues, even State-side.

Jason served as captain with his team (pictured, far right) which competed against nine other teams during the week-long EuroCamp.  

Good Ending to a Great Trip

Our last full day at Majak in Brno

Our North American EuroCamp team made it back safely to the States a little over a week ago. I apologize for just now getting a photo of our team attached this blog…and for failing to post a quicker entry. The busyness of everyday life didn’t stop while we were away! Anyway, we literally took this photo on our last full day in Brno before traveling by bus to Prague the next day.

Unfortunately, the majority of our group of nine arrived home a day after originally scheduled. The seven of us scheduled to fly home together on Tuesday, August 18, on the 11:00 a.m. (local) flight from Prague to Atlanta, called Czech’s largest city “home” for one more day. Plane mechanical problems halted our original departure, and although we were more than ready to get home to see family, our accommodations didn’t cause complaints. Delta Airlines paid for lodging in Prague’s downtown Hilton for the night, where we enjoyed two buffet meals during our 21-hour stay. Thankfully, we had no plane problems the next day, and the “now boarding” sign at our gate the next day never looked so good! When we set foot in the Atlanta airport on the 19^th, Delta agents handed each passenger a flight voucher. (In no way am I endorsing one of America’s largest airline companies but we were extremely impressed with how well they compensated us.) I’d bet that most every passenger on Delta flight #63 appreciated the care we received. (Thank you, Delta and Prague Hilton!)

Camp ended in Svratouch on Saturday, August 15, capped by saying good-byes, exchanging hugs, taking photos, and swapping e-mail addresses. Perhaps the toughest part about good-byes like these is that you never know if you’ll see your new friends again. Between an ocean and 4,500 miles, the probability seems unlikely, but EuroCamp reunions do happen. A good majority of the 69 campers had been to at least one EuroCamp previous to 2009.

Enjoying a day of sight-seeing in Prague

During the final evening rally on the Friday before, campers were invited to attend Czech church held at Majak ministry center in Brno on August 16, followed by a free-for-all barbeque with grilled chicken and all the fixings. (Or as some Americans call it, “cookout.”) Of the 69 campers in attendance that week, 31 stopped in for church and food, the largest number ever. Between the American missionaries, Czech nationals who help lead camp, and us visiting North Americans, we were elated at the number of campers who showed up. I remember thinking at one point during the church service, “Wow, they just keep on coming through the doors.”

All afternoon and into early evening, pockets of people engaged in conversation, played board games, hit volleyballs and ping pong balls, dribbled basketballs, and took more photos cementing one final memory with new friends. Majak’s coffee shop and playground were also heavily utilized, as people savored ice cream bars, sipped lattés, and played with giggling children. The after-church festivities went off without a hitch.  

One of the main reasons the campers are invited to Majak for the church service and barbeque immediately following camp is so they can be connected with those missionaries and Czech nationals who have a regular presence at the ministry center in Brno. Continuing to build those relationships is key, as many campers have questions about spiritual things and are anxious to converse about God.

Now that our team has returned, life in Brno and at Majak still continues. It might be a bit quieter without our somewhat loud American presence there, but surely fun is still being had, memories are being built, and the gospel is still being communicated through the building of relationships. What an honor it was for each of us visitors to capture in our hearts and minds what God is doing in Czech’s second largest city. We’re so grateful for the opportunity He gave us.

Petr’s Story

Petr, front row on left, poses at camp with some new friends, the North American team members.

Petr Florian’s life first intersected with Majak (pronounced “My-ock”) ministry center in 2002. The Brno, Czech Republic, native is a big sports fan and enjoyed playing with friends.

“At Majak, I could practice English,” says Petr (Peter). “Plus, I liked the people.”

For four years, Petr kept going back, and during that time he made new friends from Wesleyan colleges and universities who were visiting from the United States. He often heard people talk about Jesus but didn’t want any part in it.

The nineteen-year-old remembers attending a barbeque at Majak in 2006 and as someone in the group offered a prayer for the food, he thought, “stupid prayers.” But unbeknownst to him, God had already begun working in his heart.

Soon after, he sat in a Sunday morning worship service at Majak, bored during prayer time. So he figured he might as well start praying too in order to combat the boredom.

That was the morning he first sensed God was real.

“Since that time I have felt God listening to me, have seen someone care about me, and that [my prayers] are more than just words,” Petr says. “I don’t know how it happened.”

Petr chose to make his faith known by being baptized and began attending youth group with other young Czech believers. His youth pastor at the time mentored Petr in his new faith. He learned how to pray and live a life of faith.

Then two years ago, as he grew in his new faith, he began dating someone who wasn’t excited about his new relationship with Christ. His relationship with God suffered.

“It was hard, but then one day I remembered that I could go to God,” Petr says. “I forgot I could do that.”

Since 2004, EuroCamp has played an important role in Petr’s life. He attended his first camp at age 14 with his best friend and enjoyed meeting new friends. But since faith was a foreign concept to him, he didn’t enjoy attending evening rallies because the group sang songs about God. That camp took place just two weeks before Petr attended the church service in Brno where God became real to him.

Because of his initial disinterest in God at EuroCamp five years ago, Petr knows that some in attendance this year probably feel the way he did. Often times, spiritual progress can be excruciatingly slow Europe, making it seem like God isn’t moving at all. Although that reality is incredibly true, Petr’s life is proof that God truly does move even when movement is slight and quiet. Besides the hours of fun campers have at EuroCamp, Petr gets excited to think that they’re learning about Christ too.

“People must see all the things about Christianity, explore it, and see that God is working,” says Petr, who now works camp as a volunteer leader. “I want to show people that God works in our lives, that Christianity isn’t about religion but relationship.”

Earlier this week, Petr told his faith story (in the Czech language) at an evening rally. Captivated, campers listened to every word.

“I think it’s good for nonbelievers to see God working in our lives,” says Petr, who excitedly looks forward to growing more in his relationship with the Lord.

Back in Brno

We’ve returned from Svratouch and are back in Brno for a day and a half of debriefing before we head to Prague on Monday for sight-seeing. Campers have been invited to join us for Czech church and a lunch on Sunday, and between that and another service at 5:00 (followed by more debriefing), we’ll have little free time tomorrow. The blog will be updated as soon as possible with a follow-up camp story, including a story about a Czech believer.

Please keep checking back for posts as we continue to cast vision about what God is doing in the Czech Republic.

Thanks for keeping up with us and for praying as we’ve served. We look forward to sharing more stories upon our return to the States on Tuesday.

Gentle Whisper

Do you ever stand among the trees and listen to the leaves sway? I mean, really listen to the quiet where the only sound is the subtle movement of green around you?

Maybe you live in the city where all you hear are blaring car horns or roaring bus engines. Or maybe you call the suburbs home where voices of children playing in the street and barking dogs interrupt your thoughts. If you live in the country, the quiet is obviously easier to encounter.

No matter where you live, trees move and leaves dance with the slightest wind. Here at EuroCamp, where our campground sits more than a mile from the closest village road, the quiet is a welcome visitor from our loud, busy lives back in the States. A place where distractions like cell phones and the Internet don’t jostle for our affections.

Next time you have the chance, stand near a large tree (preferably where it’s quiet) and listen. With the help of a slight wind, the tree leaves will begin to swish back and forth, back and forth.

Those quiet moments of movements remind me that God stirs. He’s a stirrer of hearts, reminding believers that He’s still moving and working even when it may not seem so. He stirs the hearts of nonbelievers, subtly whispering that He’s there, just waiting for them to hear His beckoning. God often speaks in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19).

We believe God is stirring here and fervently pray that EuroCamp attendees don’t miss the sound. Oswald Chambers wrote, “The voice of the Spirit of God is as gentle as a summer breeze—so gentle that unless you are living in complete fellowship with God, you will never hear it.”

Come and listen. Do you hear Him?

We are Helpless

I spent all of June 2008 in East Asia with a team from Athletes in Action, the sports ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Our main purpose? To build relationships while we sought to tell new friends about Christ.

For 26 days we lived on campus at a sport university in one of the largest cities in the world before heading to another city on the other side of the country for some much-anticipated sight-seeing.

Before our team of 17 left the U.S., we selected verses to continually remind us why we were in East Asia:

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:35, 36).

Harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Isn’t that true? It’s true of many in East Asia who have never heard of Jesus or those in the Czech Republic who’ve heard about Him but have chosen their own ways. It’s true for every individual in the world.

We are all helpless without Christ; that’s one similarity between the Christian and the non-Christian, although it might be easier to see that helplessness as a believer. (After all, does the non-believer know his spiritual helplessness until the moment when God’s Spirit makes that revelation known to him? I assume not.)

The depth of this verse has pricked my heart repeatedly as I think of my own helplessness here.

My four cabin mates are all Czech women. I absolutely love our talks: food, pets, sports, family, and culture. Most of them speak average to great English, but sometimes there are still speed bumps in our attempt to converse.

The campers arrived with all levels of English, too, so sometimes it takes longer to communicate or I must think of other words to use in our conversations. And slang words are not the best option either!

On Monday, I knew both helplessness and humility in another real way. Two Czech leaders and I left camp to use the Internet at a local hotel so I could post blog entries. I didn’t understand a word spoken by the receptionist at the front desk. Then I sat down at the computer and clicked the “Internet Explorer” icon and typed in the WordPress Web site. That’s when I encountered trouble.

The Czech keyboard has some different characters and symbols than I’m used to and no matter what I pushed, I couldn’t find the “z” or “y” or the “@” symbol. Frustration started to settle in, so I humbly asked Martin for help. Then I needed to copy and paste the blogs from my flash drive onto the Web site. Again, the commands were in Czech.

“Uh, Martin, can you help me again, please?” I asked, sighing. I felt incredibly helpless but thankfully Martin offered an immediate solution to my problem.

Just like Jesus does when my spirit is anxious in my helplessness.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

That’s the solution for both my helplessness and that of our new friends here in Czech who have yet to recognize their need for Christ.

What about you? In what way are you feeling helpless today?

Jesus says all we need to do in that condition is come to Him. He is fully capable to give rest and wisdom in our helplessness. All we have to do is ask. 

A Day in the Life of Camp

Unfortunately, the rain has messed up our camp plans off-and-on since Tuesday. It’s difficult to play games and sports outside when grass is slippery and wet and the air is chilly. We’re up in the hills of Svratouch, where the temperature is cooler than Brno, and it’s hard to believe that it’s the dead of summer back home in the States and people are probably sweating as soon as they walk outside. As this post is being typed, many are bundled in sweatshirts and making comments about having cold feet.

But we’re making do with what we’ve got and have even seen a break in the weather at times to enjoy the outdoors. On Wednesday a group rode a charter bus to a nearby park full of rocks, hills, and trails. The forest here is incredibly beautiful with its hills, sparseness, and vast evergreens. In fact, one of our Czech friends told us this week that part of Narnia’s “Prince Caspian” movie was filmed in a forest somewhere within this country. Many of us can see why! Anyway, our trip to the forest was a welcome break from the afternoon routine of team competition, although the campers seem to be thoroughly enjoying each game. The 40 or so that went enjoyed trails, conversation and laughter and the opportunities to capture beautiful photos. The sun even made an appearance despite a few raindrops early on our hike.

As stated before, EuroCamp is both an English and sports camp for those who want to improve in either area. There is a sizable range in campers’ ages. We have preteens, many in their 20’s, and even a married couple who will celebrate their 25^th wedding anniversary next month. During the application process, campers were required to state their preference—learn English or American sports like [American] football (“football” in Europe actually refers to soccer), baseball, flag football, running and others.

English students were split into three groups depending on how well they spoke the language at the start of camp. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced students are discussing things like family, American song lyrics, words to describe good and evil, and words associated with travel, among many other subjects. One class made brochures to promote a dream vacation and also used words to describe themselves by making an acrostic with the letters of their name. Since Narnia is this year’s camp theme, the movie has also been incorporated into lessons, and each class is writing their own fairy tale to share at the end of camp week.

While floating between English classes and sports to take pictures, I (Tricia) overheard an in-depth discussion in the immediate class and wanted to relay it to you. Seven campers and three Americans were discussing absolute truth, science, evolution, and the battle between good and evil. It’s obvious that campers are thinking and contemplating the ways of God and the possibility that He is Absolute Truth after all they’ve heard about Him this week. Please pray that God keeps stirring in hearts here. Many of these concepts are new for so many and belief in a God of love seems so far-fetched. The differences in culture, government and history between Czech and America are so vast that we as Americans can’t fathom that God is a foreign thought. But it’s true. That’s what makes it more exciting when we hear stories of the Czech believers on our team here! Their stories of coming to faith in Christ encourage us so much because it seems they have overcome so much doubt and years of Communism to choose belief.

On a MUCH lighter note, I wanted to give you an idea of what camp looks like each day:

7:30                Campers wake up to music blaring over loud speakers

8:00                Breakfast

8:40                Morning assembly (sing camp songs with lively motions and have announcements)

9:15       English classes and sports

12:00     Lunch

2:00        Team games and competitions (We have 10 teams led by in-country American missionaries or visiting North American team members.)

6:00      Dinner

7:30               Evening rally (Includes Czech and American testimonies, skits, worship songs in both languages, a brief message, and team competition results)

9:00               Afterglow (Activities this week include talent night, square dancing, dramas, an American football game, campfires, and the showing of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”)

Camp ends this Saturday after breakfast and cabin clean-up. As you can see, we have a full schedule with some minimal free times built in. It’s not uncommon to only receive 4-5 hours of sleep a night so many of us, staff and campers alike, are exhausted. Please pray for our bodies to keep going because we’re running on empty. We wouldn’t trade our weariness, though. We’re having a blast and so many are hearing how Christ changes lives and asking questions as a result of what they’re hearing.

We apologize for lack of photos. We’re entering blog posts tonight at camp with a device that gives us service through someone’s cell phone and the service is SLOW. We’ll try to get some photos posted at the end of camp when we return to Brno on Saturday.