1.11.09 (Lauren)

Today was a wonderful, cold Sunday here in the Czech Republic. Besides attending church in the morning, our group was given hardly any instructions or activities for the rest of the day - a first since our arrival 5 days ago! In many ways, we were really needing a low-key day and we were so thankful for a chance to rest. Our experiences with church this morning, however, were the real blessings of the day. We broke up into 3 groups and were sent in different directions to help lead church services in Havlicuv Brod, Horni Krupa, and another small village. Most of us felt pretty intimidated and confused about leading worship, sharing testimonies, and preaching, but God was so good.
Amy Barnett, Bradley Favazza, and I were sent to a house church in a small village. Before hand, we really were given no information other than Brad was to share his testimony and I was supposed to sing a few songs. We entered an elderly woman's kitchen and found 9 older Czech people sitting in a circle with a key board on a table in the middle of the room. Our translators, Jana and Milos, helped to introduce us and we immediately entered into a time of singing Czech hymns and prayer. Afterwards, the people had questions about Taylor, our majors, and the trip itself. With the help of Jana and Milos, we sang a few songs in both Czech and English and Brad shared about his life as a missionary kid and the countries he has lived in - they had so many questions for him afterwards! As the service concluded, Milos told us that the wanted to pray for us, and even though we had no idea what they were saying, it was so meaningful.
We were then rushed out of the woman's kitchen and followed an elderly couple to their home up the road, where they had lunch prepared for us. They served the three of us (and Milos and Jana) a full home-cooked meal-which was so good! They had a lot of questions about America and thanks to our translators, we were able to answer and ask questions too. After lunch ended, we were offered any type of homemade dessert you can think of, and entered into deeper conversation. The couple shared pretty openly about their lives during the communist era, which we have discovered is still very much a real memory for most Czech people. We also learned that the small church has been meeting in the same kitchen for over 90 years.
We had been warned that most Czech people are extremely private and reserved, so their stories and hospitality really touched us. As we left, the elderly man told Brad and I, "Thank-you so much for coming here, and I hope you never forget your time today." We were so challenged by the people's strength and commitment to the Lord - even through communist regime. It is so clear that the Lord has been at work in the Czech Republic long before we arrived and will continue to do great things long after we leave. For now, though, we are doing our best to commit our service to these people and the Lord's work.

Thank-you very much for your thoughts and prayers,
Lauren Free