Nate Hampton In Ostrava: Thankful For Prayer

Doing Difficult Things

There are certain times when God allows situations in a person's life that are particularly difficult. For some, it could be a difficult and even deadly diagnosis. For others it could be the loss of a job or financial difficulties. And sometimes it means having a difficult conversation with someone that you love. In these sorts of situations you can feel the power of prayer in a very real way that you might not normally perceive. These past couple of weeks I can truly say that I could and can feel the power of prayer. I know many people have been praying for me recently as God has asked me to walk in faith and speak truth even when it is difficult. I have felt an increased amount or courage, wisdom, and peace that is beyond my own human strength and ability. I was able to do and say what needed to be done and said and I am incredibly thankful for your prayers. Although, prayer is still needed as everyone involved moves forward from this situation, I just wanted to express my thankfulness for the support of Christ's church as I am lifted up in prayer.

A Weekend Focused On Spiritual Gifts

This past Friday evening, a group of eight people, including myself, from Youth Revolution joined together with another youth group from Ostrava for a weekend retreat in the Beskydy Mountains. In total, there were nearly 25 people who attended the weekend to learn about spiritual gifts. During the weekend each person was able to take a test to help them determine what spiritual gifts they might have. For many people these tests affirmed what they had already assumed with a few small surprises. One of the things that I found to be most helpful was gathering with the teens from my group and talking about how I might be able to encourage them as they seek to use and strengthen their gifts for the benefit of God's Kingdom. Another thing that was nice about the weekend was the ability build and grow relationships between fellow believers. Some of the teens have known each other for many years but don't have the opportunity to spend time with one another very often because they attend different churches. These people were able to reconnect with one another and reminisce about days gone by. Others were able to meet other people their own age that are seeking to follow Christ in a world that is running from Him. One thing that I found particularly encouraging was the fact that there was another American in attendance. Jonathan is a missionary working with a Christian organization based in the Czech Republic that seeks to spread the gospel and disciple young believers. He attends the other Církev bratrská church in Ostrava and often helps within their youth group when he is in town. I had met him on several other occasions and had even gotten together with him for lunch about a month ago but this weekend we were able to talk a lot more. He is just a few years younger than me so we able to talk and laugh about many of the same things from teenage years in the States. Pray that God would use this experience in the lives of each person that was able to attend. Pray that God would give me wisdom as I seek to help these teens use their gifts within the youth group and the church in general. Pray that God would use the relationships that were built or grown this past weekend to spread the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ within the Czech Republic and beyond.