English Camp: Havlickluv Brod

Hello again!  I come to post here after another successful camp! This time we were with the lovely city of Havlickluv Brod!  There were some very entertaining and lovely people that we had met on our first visit, so I was very much looking forward to the camp!

But first an update.  One of the leaders of my intern team Josh was and still is in Serbia.  It was interesting and challenging to try to make up for the loss of leadership (and for me another male on the team) but our team did wonderfully!  Rachael, my Northern Irish leader, took the helm of the team and camp and it was amazing to see!  We all miss Josh and we are praying hard for him to make it back before the American Interns leave.  But everything is in God's control and Josh is the first one to tell you that!

This chapter of my intern story started again with American Team training.  And what an American team we had!  Camp was blessed to have 19 energetic and loving ALASKANS to teach and work!  That's right ALASKANS!  So upon hearing I was from Texas, I never stopped hearing about how Texas is second largest state.  Not only that but the leader of the Alaskans was an Aggie.  Needless to say the humor started early.  So for three days we connected with the new Alaskans and also all the other intern teams.  Every single Czech Intern Team was at this training too so it was one non-stop party.

We were fortunate to have a huge and amazing facility for camp which gave us plenty room for games and just being awesome!  Friday night before camp was spent getting everything ready, the calm before the joyous storm, and getting some final hours of sleep in.

The intern team took a different role for this camp.  Because of the experience and numbers of the Alaskans, I and my teammates sat in on classes.  Being support for the teachers was great because it took some of the pressure off but let us stay active in the classes!

The students were amazing at this camp.  They brought so much energy which helped me because I was lacking in that aspect.  But the lord provided the rest and all the energy I needed!  Thank you for your prayers!  Not only were the students energetic but we had some real thinkers in our classes.  We actually had a huge amount of believers in our class but it was great to see them still wrestle and ask questions about faith.  I had many good conversations that encouraged both the students and myself.  I think this type of dynamic was great for my last camp here.  I saw a lot of the fruit of others that is growing in The Czech.

It was also great to work alongside some of the best workers of Christ they have here in Czech.  From college age students to the Pastor of the the HB church.  All of them are working themselves to the bone to bring Christ to those around them!  Working with them have been inspiring and I want to incorporate in my life back at Texas.  One of these leaders in Jonathan the man below.

Like all the camps the days all blurred together to one blob of Joy, Spirit, and SO MUCH FUN!   To cap it all off the last night of camp was a late night of karaoke, dancing, and just using all the energy that I didn't have.  Before we knew it, it was Saturday morning and we were getting ready to get on our train!  Sad goodbyes met with hugs were traded as we headed back to Podebrady while the rest of camp went to Brod.

So my time in Czech is drawing to an end.  In less than a week I will get on a plane, just like the one i got on to arrive, and get back to the states.  But that has yet to come.  For this week will be spent in Prague at Intern Debrief.  It will be a time of reflection and trying to understand what happened in my life this summer.  It will be quite a task but a blessing.  Pray that God will give me wisdom how to transfer the fruit of this summer to my life in Texas.  Also I'll be taking in all I can from Prague and the people around me.

Thank all of you again for enabling me to come to this beautiful place and change my look on life and Christ.  God Bless!

Nolan

Podebrady Camp!!

This week I had the honor to do camp with my team's home for the summer.  Podebrady, Czech Republic - just east of Prague has been our home away from home since the beginning of this adventure!

The team we had this go around was truly amazing.  Coming all the way from Sacramento, California we had a group of 6 energetic americans from the group Remedy.  We also had a handful of volunteers that in one way or another found their way to this camp! They proved to be priceless assets in both relationships with the students and doing AMAZING WORSHIP and songs!

For the Czech side we had two youth leaders and a handful of students all laying down time and effort for camp to be tons of fun and effective!  One of the greatest parts of this trip has been meeting and building relationships with the people who are leading the Christ movement day in and day out here in Czech Republic!

Our team was blessed to have another training in Brejlov, one of my favorite places on this beautiful earth!  With tons of fun and great talks I was able to start building relationships with all of those that would be helping us throughout the week!!

The time came for us to make our way to Lesni Bouda, the location of the camp.  The cottage was located on a mountain in the tallest mountain range in the Czech Republic.  It was truly beautiful in both daylight and night!

After last minute preparations for the English classes, the STUDENTS CAME!  It was fun seeing some familiar faces but also to meet all of the new students!  From day one bonds started forming as we played sports and just did all the camp stuff!  That night the students were assigned to classes and it ended up that my class would be me, my co-teacher (girl)  my (guy) translator, and a class of 6 girls! 

English classes went amazingly.  It was fun to see the students eager to learn new phrases and words but mostly class was great because it broke down some of the walls the students had put up!  By sharing about myself and asking questions I could begin to see what their lives were like!  And my class opened up wonderfully which allowed the christians in my class to speak Christ's truth!  It's the best thing to see!

The Podebrady group was probably the most active yet.  Here are some of the activities we did:

• Lots of soccer!
• Team Activities - chants, flags, etc.  DOMINATION STATION
• running around in the woods in the pitch black night!
• Hiking to the top of the Black Mountain
• Karaoke (I sang Friday and a duet to Heart Will Go On)
• Games including lyrics and whip cream
• tons of more fun!

We did run into one big problem this week which we saw coming but didn't think would happen.  On Wednesday night Josh, (my fearless leader) had to leave us to get on a train to Serbia.  He Czech visa for 2 years had not and still is not processed and his temporary visa has run out.  He now is serving with Josiah missionaries in Serbia and doing camp.  We don't understand why but we trust God in his plans!  But God used Josh leaving as a catalyst.  Josh spoke on his last night that his own hopes and expectations were not being fulfilled but he trusted God with what was to come.  That night it seemed the whole camp opened up.  My class and most other classes used Josh's example to speak on our hopes in the world and how some were failing.  It was so weird but exceptional to see something we viewed as terrible turn so many minds toward God.  He works in his own way!!

The spirit was moving!  We know of 2 people that accepted Christ and the hearts of many others were moving!  This is why I came here.  No, this is why God sent me here.  I'm so glad I could be a part of this and see God's work!

The end of camp came quickly but luckily we had Follow-Up!  I had the honor of playing bass with the Church's youth band which was a cool experience.  Never thought I would be playing while someone sang in Czech!  After church we hung out and played games and just kept the relationships going that we had made at camp!  I felt like I was with a group of friends from back home!

But the day came when we had to say goodbye.  We shared memories and hugs with both the Americans and Czechs as they boarded a train to Prague. With the craziness of our last week coming up we don't know who we will see again and who we won't.  But I know who I'll see in heaven

Again I just feel blessed to be here!  As my time here comes closer and closer to the end its crazy to me how long I have been here and everything my team has done.  God used me and it was the time of my life.  Thank all of you for the prayers and making this happen.  Continue to pray for energy and Josh's visa.  I love all of you!

Nolan

First Camp Hradec Kralove!

Hello everyone!

Sorry about it being so long since the last post but I have been super busy preparing and doing OUR FIRST CAMP.  After so much time touring and getting the word about English Camps it was finally time to start teaching English and sharing the gospel.  But our camp experience started actually a couple days earlier at Team Training!

3 days before camp started all of the intern teams and American teams serving in Bohemia came to Brejluv.  At a beautiful hotel (that used to be a mill) on a river we met the Americans that would be helping us do camp and just got time to bond and prepare for lessons!  Our team consisted of Cooper from Florida, Tim for Germany/Ohio, Laura and Morgan from Illinois (but originally Texas!), Megan from Iowa, and Bree and Melissa from Virginia.  It was fun to have people from all over the place and learning about the many different walks of life everyone was at.  The intern team was also able to reconnect with the other intern that were at training.  It was so cool to be away from people for about a month but reconnect instantly!  With all the teams there were many great talks and lots of late night talks!

But come Friday, we all had to go our separate ways, aka CAMP.  We loaded up the intern, Czech, and American team on trains for about 6 hours and finally arrived in Petrikov, our camp.  Staying at the hotel and restaurant Sport Grill, we stayed up late doing final preparations and making sure everything was perfect and spending LOTS of time in prayer for the camp and especially the students.

Saturday the 7th came quickly and so did the train carrying the 70 something students!  We had a nice hike back to the hotel from the train station so we all began to introduce ourselves and establish some relationships!  That night we welcomed everyone to camp and introduced them to the Camp Dance and other crazy things done at camp!  After 12 years being at summer camps I was so excited to get back to Theme songs and constantly yelling :)

I can't tell how much God answered my and ya'lls prayers for my English Class.   Being a film student I didn't think i was qualified or ready to teach anything, let alone a language!  But God provided the activities and plans for the best.  We had a Texas and Sports days, and it seemed they enjoyed themselves and learned a lot.  I think most importantly god showed me an open mind.  I had plans set but constantly I would scracth them by seeing what they were interested in!   One afternoon all we did was look at a U.S. and I answered questions and told them about the country.  They also loved teaching me.  Whether it was facts about the country or a nursery rhyme they loved seeing me try, (and especially fail) at the Czech.  I could not have asked for a better class!

We also ate... and ate... and ate.  The rumor around JV is that the place we did camp at had the best food of all the camps.  After eating there for week I fully believe that!  We had all the Czech foods (Svitcova, Fruit dumplings, and gulas!) and some other great meals.  Meals were also just a good time to sit back and talk to the students!  Relationships were built 24/7!

We had lots of fun extras we got to do during the week too!

• bobsledding (tobogganing)
• water sports
• Hradec Film Festival (film workshop I and my buddy did)
• Texas Dancing (taught them two-step and cotton eye joe)
• Capture the flag

Most importantly we got to share the gospel.  Throughout the week and the summer we are focusing on the story of the Prodigal Son.  Transforming the story into a more modern take, we're able to connect to what goes on in students life (in Czech and America).  Building on the story we were able to share how God is great and the only thing that will fulfill one's life.  It definitely made the students think and lead to some great discussions.  It was awesome to see God pull one students thoughts a full 180 in matters of hours.  Yay God!!

We are a day away from starting training for our second camp.  Continue to pray for energy and wisdom as we set out for two more camps.  Also be praying for my leader Josh's visa to come through soon! Thank all of you for the prayers and love.  Couldn't do it without  you!

Podebady, Parents, Prague, and much much more! part 2

Our leaders greeted us with a nice surprise during the weekend,  WE WERE GOING TO PRAGUE!! So last monday we loaded up and spent an amazing day in one of my favorite cities in the world
Here were some highlights!

• Found an upside down horse!
• Got some awesome Starbucks
• Went to Old Town Square
• Saw some ART
• Finally got a Czech Jersey
• Indulged Rachael's UK food cravings at Mark's and Spencer's
• Indulged my Mexican food cravings at an authentic mexican place!
• Photo shoot at the Lennon Wall

All and all it was a great day in a great city.

After Prague we went cross country (4 hours on a train) to Cesky Tesin for a work project.  Fortunately there were already 2 other Czech JV teams already there we had a great time catching up and swapping stories.  It was a friendly reminder that there I myself am just a small part of Josiah Venture and the mission group as a whole!  To hear all the stories of Christ is amazing and I loved all their company

We spent 2 days working (or really destroying) a town house in the Czech Hills for a missonary family.    The Dicksons opened up their project and their life for us to help out.  While sitting up on a roof 20 feet up (my mom would be so happy) I got to hear how the Dickson's got to Czech and their life story.  Its been great hearing about all the different missionaries and how everything has added up and been provided for them to serve the Lord.  We torn off the roof, took out toliets and tubs, moved bricks, and my favorite - jack hammering their entire driveway.  MASCULINITY!

The work project was a good break from our normal routine and do some physical and manual work for Christ!

We are now on the eve of going on our first training for camp!  I can't wait to get camp going and start teaching some English and some Good News!  I feel we have been prepping and now it is time for our work and all the work of the Czechs to come to life!!!

Prayer Requests: for the whole team (Josh, Jitka, Rachael, Bethany, and myself) for strength and energy!  Also that we can focus and remember we are hear for Christ and not for ourselves.  This is a blessing so i want to use it for the most!

Podebady, Parents, Prague, and much much more! part 1

First I would like to apologize for the long time without posting.  After going through my head of everything I have done in the mean time it has been crazy!  I have been blessed to have the opportunity to do some much over here in The Czech!  So lets get started!

I realized I have not really talked about my team's living arrangements in our home base Podebrady (pOd-ie-bra-dy, a little confusing).  We have had the pleasure of literally living in a Czech church, having two rooms upstairs.  We have the pastor and his family as neighbors and it has been great getting to know them well through having different meals together and watching some of the Euro Cup!  Our little home is comfortable and a nice place to rest!

Next big thing that happened in my life..... THE PARENTS CAME!!

The Mama and Papa got to meet and have dinner with the team, which ended up being a time to tell how we all got to the Czech which was AMAZING to hear!  After saying goodbye to the team for a couple of days the parents and I went back to the hotel and talked for awhile by the pool.  Email and facebook are great but there is nothing like telling your parents face to face what is going on in my heart and life!

Not only did we hang the parents and I almost went visiting some sweet places!  First was a huge Bascillica in Kutna Hora!  It's always fun to see all the detail made hundreds of years ago for church! After a hearty lunch of Svickova and Gulas we found ourselves in the crypt....

In Kutna Hora there is a crypt where, after years of getting lots of dead bodies, the caretakers began to make sculptures and fixtures out fo the bones of the dead.  You heard me right.. there are columns and little huts made out of human bones.  The room was centered around a giant chandelier made out of femurs and spines.


That night we cheered on the Czech EuroCup team in a Irish Bar (we seemed to be a little nationality confused eh?), but unfortunately we lost.  I spent another night with the parents but had to be back to the team for a visit the next day.  As quickly as my parents came they left.  I think it was amazing for my parents to see what I was doing firsthand because they are the ones who supported me doing this and created me to the person who would do this.  I owe it to them! 

That weekend was our "visit" (even though we were living there) to Podebrady's youth group!  We stayed with the youth pastor Ales' family at night while we played sports and just hung out with the youth group!  The group is ready to go for camp and I can't blame them I am too!  It was fun to sit and have a meal and just take in the Czech culture for teens.  Its great to feel like a missionary but sometimes its amazing to feel like you are part of their lives and culture! We played pretty much every sport imaginable under the warm (not texas warm but warm) including volleyball!  I can't wait for a couple weeks when we'll be teaching so English together!

Havlickuv Brod

Hello Again!

Another weekend has gone past and that means we travled again to another one of the cities which we will host camp with!  This weekend was Havlickuv Brod, a beautiful city!

Our trip started with an unexpected 2 hour wait in Kolin waiting for our train to come.  Apparently a piece of wall of a building being demolished fell on to the tracks.  EVeryone was safe and this gave us time to connect with Jonatan, the leader for Brod's camp.  Our train into Brod was packed but fun as we swapped stories and ideas with Jonatan and other people on the train.

Upon arrival we were met by some of the group and went to a lovely restaurant to get some food.  It was fun just relaxing and getting to know all of them.  Also i learned I cant say řisek (schnitzel) correctly so all had some fun hearing me trying to pronounce it.  Nothing bonds like an American trying to speak Czech.

After a night's rest at our friends Pavel's house, we arose to have a picnic in one of the parks in Brod.  The weather was beautiful and so were the conversations! 

I even got to eat a bacon muffin!

Heading to a park we played sports with a lot of the youth group.  I have never played so much ultimate frisbee (or tried atleast) in my life!

The youth group has been studying Jonah so we joined them in their latest look into the story.  It's funny hearing about Jonah because I feel God sent me Here like Jonah to Ninevah!  Luckily god and those around me gave me the strength and support to go, so I didn't end up in the belly of fish!  We also talked about what we want out of life and how that reflects what God wants.  It was truly amazing to hear all the stories how God has changed the ideas about life in the Czechs' lives!  It's more motivation to keep going on strong and looking forward to camp.

Josh and I also got to be in a Czech Pub as the Czech National team beat Poland and won their way into the quarterfinals of the EuroCup!  Needless to say we were the least rowdy of all the fans, but were getting there!  Who knew I could enjoy soccer so much.

Sunday morning, we went to church in Brod and heard a wonderful message tied into Father's day about trying to be close to our heavenly father and continue to do things that bring us close to him!   Again it was amazing to hear a message in native tongue, but also have a translator for us English speakers.

After lunch and ice cream we hung out in the town square (pictured up top) for awhile, even playing the Ninja game on a stage.  We also had the opportunity to take some tall and twisty stairs up to the bell tower of Brod and see the city from high above!

After the tower and hanging out in the square we finished up our visit playing some Dutch Blitz up at the church until we had to get on our train and head back to Podebrady

What I am coming to love about these visits and meeting the Czechs i have is there passion.  Most are new believers (compared to what I'm used to in the states) and even though they are high school or early college aged, they are striving to bring Christ to more of the Czech.  I want to feed off their passion and add a little of my own in camp!  I am blessed to be a small part in a truly HUGE and powerful movement that is happening in the Czech Republic, Europe, and the world!  AGain I thank god for my team and the support back home that is making this trip possible.  I love all of you!

Prayer requests: continual prayer for strength and focus as we prepare for camps, that we would come together more and more as a team, and personally I can focus all of my thoughts and prayers for this task that has been put before me.  YAY GOD!

Hradec Kralove!

Part of the Hradec

Its been awhile since the last post because I have been taking an fun and productive trip with the team to the Czech city of Hradec Kralove.  We are going to put on an English Camp with the youth group in Hradec in July!

Coming into the city around 9 pm we were met by a small group of young Hradec-ians who were part of the local youth group.  Josh and I had the pleasure of staying in the house of Philip and Tomasz's house where were fed some amazing Chicken!  Arising early in the morning the full team was assembled and we headed to schools to advertise our English Camp!  Our first class was in a beauticians schools and the others were in a grammar (high) school.  In the classes we introduced ourselves and the camp then played a couple games to get the students talking and thinking in English.  Afterward we had small group discussions where the students could ask our team whatever.  Almost every class asked me cowboy related questions after they learned I was from Texas.  If any Czech Students ask you I totally ride horse to class.

That night we had the priviledge of participating in the a "Greater Than" with the Hradec youth group!  Singing songs and talking with the group I could tell that they really have a heart from Christ.

I think it was encouraging to see the product of past English camps (and all other christian influences in the youth's life before that) before I start my first camp!  Josh gave a great message talking about truly following after christ, a personal relationship, which was translate by Philip so the Czech could understand!

Hradec youth Group

Later that night we watched the Czech vs. Russia Game of the Euro Cup in a tent with some fellow Czechs.  Unfortunately we lost but the Czech spirit lives on!

We awoke early the next morning to get onto a train to begin a hike in the mountains surrounding Hradec.    Hiking for about 5 hours we made it to the summit of a mountain and looked down below at some of the most beautiful land I have ever seen!  I didn't bring my camera because of rain, but you'll have to take my word for it.  We kept hiking through late morning and early afternoon going through Fanghorn Forest like Forests (Lord of the Rings!) and got to climb around on boulders and other adventurous things!  It poured the last half hour but we had plenty of time to dry off as we waited for our train home!

Sunday morning I got to experience my first Czech church service!  There was something cool hearing both worship and the message in the native tongue, and fortunately we had some translators there to tell us what was going on.  God is moving throughout the world and it's nice to see a lot of that.

After church we had team planning with the youth group, looking over the ideas and plans for the English camp.  It was awesome to everyone coming to make camp the best it can be!  After the plans we enjoyed card games and hanging out with each other!

Early the next morning we did 6 more school visits, with more Texas questions!  Then we headed back to Podebrady which will be our home base this summer!

Overall Hradec was a great place to see because it showed me how God is working in this part of the world and gets my excitement up even more about camps and pouring into kids!

Prayers for energy and focus would be much appreciated by not just me but by my team.  I love ya''ll