Malenovice

Hello all. The internet has been down for the past 2 days so I am just now updating. We have been in training for english camps and the evening program. I can see already, from here, that God is doing some HUGE things. I did not know the full extent of how God was working through this organization until the president came and talked to us last night about how JV was started. It started with 5 Americans after Communism fell in 1989. With the new freedom to express religious ideas, they prayed that somehow they could reach the youth of Eastern Europe. They began one youth camp in the summer of 1990 and now have expanded to 11 different countries holding over 500 different camps every summer. 

Last night I heard a 19 year old Czech guy talk about his experience growing up in the most atheistic country in the world (Yes, the Czech Republic is) and how he was just taken aback by the friendly/loving nature of the Americans who invited him to camp. He went to camp merely for the fun of it for 3 years before he seriously considered becoming a Christian. He is an extremely intelligent guy, he said his parents read him encyclopedias before bed. (No joke). He grew up believing in the power of science and under a Darwinian outlook on life. His 3rd camp he realized that no knowledge he had could give him the joy he found at these camps. He said, okay God, if you are real, let me know. He said as he sat there that night, he felt all around him and inside him something powerful, something supernatural. Tears came to his eyes as he recalled this memory. He said, he simply knew in that moment, that God was real. He became a Christian that night.

As we are preparing for camp, so many things come to mind. We take it for granted the accessibility of Christianity in America. These kids do not have youth groups. Church is an antiquated and irrelevant idea in most of Europe. I was talking to a Czech guy who studies in Scotland for school and he told us how they have turned churches in Scotland into bars at night. They are a tourist attraction during the day and a disco/bar at night. I wonder how God feels about that... Wow.

The days here are a balance of work and play. As you can see in the picture, Malenovice is a beautiful place. The huge building is the training center for Josiah Venture, purchased and renovated by volunteer work and donations. I wake up on my own to sunlight coming through the windows and a cool breeze. The breakfast is out of this world. It has been one of the most wonderful places I've been to in my life. Tomorrow I will leave this enchanting place to go to the village of Bohumilice, a rural village 5 hours away. Saturday I will meet my small group who I will teach for the week.

Please pray for our team and the youth in Bohumilice. I can't wait to meet them and share the love and hope that comes only from God.