Nate Hampton In Ostrava: Serving in Community

School Visits and Youth Revolution

I, like many others have been kept quite busy over the last few weeks. As some students have been home, frantically studying for graduation exams occurring this week younger students have been feeling the pressure as well as their teachers assigned tests and projects before some of them would be busy administering the graduation exams. I have also been feeling the pressure as many classes have been asking me to visit before the school year comes to an end. As I have been preparing presentations for these visits I have also been preparing some advertising presentations and slideshows for the upcoming English camp. As some of you may know, one of the schools that I visit regularly invited me to have a special time and place at their school to advertise for the English camp last week. I must admit that I ended that day feeling pretty frustrated, because even though they made an announcement that day about when and where I would be holding this meeting, one of the teachers accidentally told their class to use that room to prepare for a test. So at the last minute I had to scramble to find an available room and hope that people would be directed to the correct room. Well I didn't notice anyone walk in, but there was another class in the new room preparing for a different test and they were polite enough to be quiet and at least partially pay attention as a spoke about the camp. We will have to see if they Lord used that in anyway. As of right now, the only redeeming thing about it to me was that Klára (who is visiting Elverson this summer) and Terka were willing and did stand up in front of their schoolmates and say that they have been a part of the camp over the years and why they love it so much. I was very thankful for that. A few days later, I was asked to visit my regular classes at another school and spent the time playing some fun games using English and speaking with them about the English camp as well. There were a few people who chose to take leaflets after the presentation. Most of these classes I will visit one more time before the end of the school year. Please pray that the Lord would use this for His Kingdom, whether it be having some of them decide to come to the English camp, come to the youth group or just start up a conversation.

Over the last few weeks I have also been busy with English conversations and youth meetings. Last week a teen from an English club at one of the schools that I visit decided to come and check out the English conversation groups at the church. On Tuesday she came by herself to the teen group and on Thursday she brought another girl from her English club. I was really glad that they came and I hope that they would come again sometime soon. Its a possibility that the first girl might attend the English camp if her mom allows it. She seemed interested and took a leaflet home, but she said when her mom saw that the advertisement said, "Bible," she was a bit hesitant. You can pray that the Lord would soften her mom's heart and allow her to come to the camp and that if her mom decides to visit the conversation group to meet me that she wouldn't be too weirded out by a big American black Christian. As far as the youth group goes, it has been a bit sparse over the last two weeks. It maybe have to do with the nicer weather that we have had over the last couple of weeks and people wanting to go out to get some ice cream with their friends or the fact that people like Matouš have been studying like crazy to prepare for graduation exams and university entrance exams. Either way, I've recently been working through the Beattitudes in Matthew 5. Those who were there were engaged, answering questions and discussing with one another. Please continue to keep these teens in your prayers as they grow in their relationship with the Lord or as they hear the truth of the gospel week after week.

Spring Church Weekend

Several weekends ago, Církev bratrská in Poruba had their annual Spring Weekend, a weekend retreat for the entire church designed to be relaxing and edifying. The weekend was held at a small hotel in the Beskydy Mountains, only 40 minutes from Ostrava. Many people from the church really enjoy this weekend each year, because it is a chance to get out the city and enjoy the clean air and the beauty of nature. These weekends are always fun for me as I get to see the church community get together and just talk, worship, laugh and of course hike (I along with several others sat out the hike, because four hours of hiking is just not "relaxing" to me). The weekend also included activities for the children, blasts from the past for the parents and even a surprise video of one of the church member's appearances on the Czech edition of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." Those of you who have come to English camps in the past might want to look through the pictures below to find out who it was. Although I never really sleep that well away from my own bed, whether it be my bed in Pennsylvania or my bed in Ostrava, I still really enjoyed the weekend as a chance to get to know these brothers and sisters a little bit better as we are surrounded by the beauty of the Lord's creation.