Spending Time with Old Friends
From Sunday through Tuesday I was able to visit some old friends in their hometown of Kroměříž. It is one of the most beautiful towns I have seen in the Czech Republic. The first year that I came to the Czech Republic I was able to spend an afternoon in this town but little did I know that it was the hometown of the family that I had grown closest to during my time at the camp. These are some pictures taken from the clock tower above the palace where scenes from Amadeus were shot.
Kroměříž is home to (my Czech daughter) Anička and her family. When we first met she was 9 years old and now she is almost 14. Time flies and she is growing into a wonderful young Christian woman. She has travelled to Ostrava, about an hour by train, the last two weeks to join our congregation here in the afternoons. She will also be attending the youth group as much as possible and looking to bring friends, of whom I have met a few.
After spending sometime viewing the town with Anička and her friend Filip, we returned to her home for an evening BBQ with some family friends. We enjoyed good food and sang some songs. Well they sang, I listened. My Czech is still pretty terrible. Haha.
This cute face belongs to Johanka, Anička's little sister. She was named after Joni Eareckson Tada. When I first met her four years ago she had just turned 2 along with her twin brother Vojta. I am so surprised that she remembered me so well and was so excited to show me her toys, art, and how well she could play the recorder.
This is Vojta, Johanka's twin brother. He is a wonderful artist and I think a future athlete. One of the mornings I saw him doing push-ups and sit-ups in the living room while watching some cartoons. He and his sister both made me some art work to take home for my refrigerator. He LOVES Angry Birds.
This is Matouš, the second oldest in the family. He is also a talented musician and did a great job at being patient as we toured the castle on Tuesday morning. That can be a pretty boring experience for an 8 year old but he did get some chocolate in the end.
Vendy, is their mom. She is a teacher but will be taking off the next few years to raise their new baby which is due sometime in September. She helped me to feel right at home the first time I came to Czech Republic as she adopted me right into her family. Not only will she be taking care of a new baby this fall but she will also be homeschooling Matouš as well.
This is Marek, Vendy's husband and pastor of a small church in Kroměříž. This was the first time that I got the opportunity to spend much time with him as he was not in attendance at the English Camp several years ago. In this picture he is telling the kids a fairytale, which I am told he is excellent at doing, especially when he makes it up as he goes. This man is a huge encouragement to me as he continues to do the Lord's work in this town even though the congregation seems to dwindle in his church. Last week there were about 10 people in attendance. Pray that the Lord would continue to empower this man as he seeks to follow the Lord's calling. Also pray for the people of Kroměříž that they would come to know the Lord, their Creator and Savior.
These two ladies are Vendy's friends. I got a chance to spend time with them at this BBQ as well as the following afternoon before I came back to Ostrava. They were very kind and an encouragement to me.
This is Filip.
These are pictures of some of their children. They were so cute and apparently after they left the BBQ had a lot to say about me. We got to know each other a bit using some funny faces as well as some hugs. Pray for these kids especially Filip as he seems to have a difficult time sometimes. Vendy said that it is not very usual for him to get close to people so it was amazing his response to me because he was all hugs and funny faces. I look forward to seeing them again.
Positive Responses from the English Camp
Yesterday, I spent a good amount of time speaking on Facebook with a girl by the name of Barča who attending the English Camp for the first time with her cousin Lenka and her family. She is almost 15 years old. Lenka, and her family attend Církev Bratrská. Coming into the camp Barča had been having a difficult time finding her identity and feeling like she did not compare to her peers. She posted on Facebook some pictures from the English Camp and said that it changed her life. I asked her more about it and she said that she now has peace in her heart from God and is thankful that God brought her to the camp this year so that she could meet some more believers and know Him better. Hearing this from her just warms my heart. She will be attending the youth group as well this fall and I look forward to more discussions with her about who Jesus is and what He has done for us.
Barča and I at the end of the English Camp
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