Dan Grace, director of Canada SOS, sent out this e-mail about our first October hockey trip. If anyone is interested, let us know! Pass on the information if you know someone who is interested!
Hey everyone, just a quick note to get you thinking about joining us for a fall mission trip to Czech Republic this October 3-13. They will have ice in Hlinsko and the weather will be great! What better way to spend the thanksgiving holiday than to share our gratitude for God’s work in our lives with the Czech people?! The trip will cost approx $1400 plus airfare for hockey players and $900 plus airfare for non-players. Airfare is usually between $900 and $1000. We are expecting great things from this trip as we continue to see God work in Hlinsko and in the hearts of Czech people.
We expect to be involved in a number of ministries such as: work in public schools, visiting orphanages, serving in local church, 4+ hockey games with an event at the end of week to spend more time with players and any other opportunities that God brings our way. This trip will mark the first trip since Jody and Rachael have settled in over there and we’re excited about the possibilities that their ongoing work will bring us.
In case you hadn’t heard, we received our charitable status with the government so we are able to give tax receipts for Canadian donations. Let me know as soon as possible if you are interested and we can kick off the application process and get your fundraising started. Keep an eye out for our Newsletter in the near future and feel free to forward this on to anyone you may think is interested.
Dan Grace
Monday, April 20, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Treasures of Darkness
A great pastor friend of ours recently sent us an encouraging e-mail. He was speaking from Isaiah 45:3, "I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD." When I first read through his e-mail, I wasn't quite sure I completely understood the concept of "the treasure of darkness." Here is a little excerpt from his e-mail:
The word treasures is translated from a Hebrew word which means depository. This reveals that God purposely will allow times of darkness for the express purpose of making spiritual deposits in our lives. But why darkness you ask? At least I did when this came to me! We cannot see in the dark. However God sees in the darkness as in the noonday. When we are in darkness we must fully trust him and remain focused on Him (Isaiah 50:10). We must allow Him to take us by the hand (give up or control and independence) and lead us. He leads us to his "hidden riches" which translated means "secret storehouse" and "secret places" which translated means "secret covert" or "hidden shelter." He revealeth the deep and hidden things, HE KNOWETH WHAT IS IN THE DARKNESS, and the light dwelleth with him (Daniel 2:22). Many run from dark times and take comfort in the shelter of their own making. But God wants us to find the "secret shelters" (protection) and "secret storehouses" (spiritual provision) of His presence. When we know where these spiritual secret places are in Him and how to access them we can abide there in the midst of any difficult situation here in the natural realm with righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit reigning in our heart. We also know how to lead others to those same sanctuaries.
This past week and up until Sunday our church has been praying 24 hours every day. Tonight when I was praying, I came across this verse again and was intrigued by it again. Our pastor friend told us that, out of love for us, God sends us times of darkness when we must seek his treasure. I thought about a treasure, and its value. And God spoke this to me: A treasure earnestly sought after is more highly valued then one stumbled upon by chance, or one received through no effort.
Think, if you will, of a precious artifact in a museum. Can you see in your mind's eye, numbers of people all filing past as they look in awe at this amazing treasure? They recognize it has value, and appreciate it on some level for two minutes and then move on to the next exhibit. Now, imagine the man or woman who spent countless hours possibly in the dark, digging and searching for treasure. Imagine how differently they would view the same item...how differently they would value it. They didn't just happen upon some incredible thing lying in the street, they sought for it, and their efforts were rewarded.
I think we are experiencing the same situation here in Hlinsko. It feels strange to call this time, "dark" because that can give a negative feeling. But I would say that it is dark in the sense that what God is doing or is about to do is unknown, hence it is "dark". We feel a need to press in and search in the secret places and the dark corners for the treasure that God has waiting. I know that it will be a multi-faceted treasure, and I know the more I seek, the more I will personally value whatever it is He has waiting! It is quite the experience to be a fellow seeker alongside the youth here! Their passion for searching is contagious and exciting. When the treasure is revealed, I know that their joy will be outstanding! They have such hearts for their peers, and for their country...what an exciting time!
The word treasures is translated from a Hebrew word which means depository. This reveals that God purposely will allow times of darkness for the express purpose of making spiritual deposits in our lives. But why darkness you ask? At least I did when this came to me! We cannot see in the dark. However God sees in the darkness as in the noonday. When we are in darkness we must fully trust him and remain focused on Him (Isaiah 50:10). We must allow Him to take us by the hand (give up or control and independence) and lead us. He leads us to his "hidden riches" which translated means "secret storehouse" and "secret places" which translated means "secret covert" or "hidden shelter." He revealeth the deep and hidden things, HE KNOWETH WHAT IS IN THE DARKNESS, and the light dwelleth with him (Daniel 2:22). Many run from dark times and take comfort in the shelter of their own making. But God wants us to find the "secret shelters" (protection) and "secret storehouses" (spiritual provision) of His presence. When we know where these spiritual secret places are in Him and how to access them we can abide there in the midst of any difficult situation here in the natural realm with righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit reigning in our heart. We also know how to lead others to those same sanctuaries.
This past week and up until Sunday our church has been praying 24 hours every day. Tonight when I was praying, I came across this verse again and was intrigued by it again. Our pastor friend told us that, out of love for us, God sends us times of darkness when we must seek his treasure. I thought about a treasure, and its value. And God spoke this to me: A treasure earnestly sought after is more highly valued then one stumbled upon by chance, or one received through no effort.
Think, if you will, of a precious artifact in a museum. Can you see in your mind's eye, numbers of people all filing past as they look in awe at this amazing treasure? They recognize it has value, and appreciate it on some level for two minutes and then move on to the next exhibit. Now, imagine the man or woman who spent countless hours possibly in the dark, digging and searching for treasure. Imagine how differently they would view the same item...how differently they would value it. They didn't just happen upon some incredible thing lying in the street, they sought for it, and their efforts were rewarded.
I think we are experiencing the same situation here in Hlinsko. It feels strange to call this time, "dark" because that can give a negative feeling. But I would say that it is dark in the sense that what God is doing or is about to do is unknown, hence it is "dark". We feel a need to press in and search in the secret places and the dark corners for the treasure that God has waiting. I know that it will be a multi-faceted treasure, and I know the more I seek, the more I will personally value whatever it is He has waiting! It is quite the experience to be a fellow seeker alongside the youth here! Their passion for searching is contagious and exciting. When the treasure is revealed, I know that their joy will be outstanding! They have such hearts for their peers, and for their country...what an exciting time!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Czech lessons
We had our second Czech language class today. Our teacher speaks incredibly quickly, and she can be difficult to understand. There were many times in class today that I felt like, "I might as well leave because I will never learn it anyway!" The US Army listed Czech as the third most difficult language in the world...fun for us! I pray that God would give our minds favour in learning this language! Through the month of April we will have class once a week for two hours and then beginning in May we will have it twice a week, two hours each time.
Please pray for our minds and tongues to adjust quickly to learning a new language!
Please pray for our minds and tongues to adjust quickly to learning a new language!
SOS Canada
I just want to connect you with the SOS Canada homepage. We are planning for a hockey trip in October, and if you are interested, it would be great to check out the homepage!
www.canadasos.ca
www.canadasos.ca
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Deep Thoughts With Jody :)
I (Jody) don’t often blog. In fact this may be my first time writing on our blog, but I have a lot on my mind and heart and just want to share some of it.
So much has happened in the two short and very quick months that we have been here it’s hard to know where to begin, so I will share with you what I feel God’s Spirit is speaking to me. Let me begin with our town Hlinsko and the meaning behind the name of our town. The name Hlinsko comes from the Czech word "Hlina" meaning clay. This area was once famous for the high quality potter's clay found here. That got me thinking and I opened the Word of God and was lead to John 9:6-7 NKJV. In this verse, Jesus heals a blind man with his spit and some clay from the ground. As I read this passage I began to wonder, "What if God is going to use Hlinsko (meaning clay) the same way Jesus used the clay? What if God is going to pour out His Spirit on the people of this town in such a way that He then uses them to restore sight to the rest of the nation and around the world." Why Hlinsko? What is so special about this town? Maybe that is the very reason why...there is nothing special about this town, but our God loves to use the ordinary to do extraordinary things ('Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:16 NIV). I can’t tell you why, but I can tell you that I really believe we are standing on the edge of a pouring out of God’s Spirit like few have seen. Here in Hlinsko we have a beautiful hill that overlooks almost the whole town; it’s a great place to go up and be alone. The other day I went up the hill to pray and I began to weep for this town and pray for God to move in the hearts of the people. As I was praying I felt the Holy Spirit whisper to me, “Tell them to wake up!” and so I began to say, “Wake up.” And then I felt the Spirit say, “Louder!” So I said it louder. And again He said, “Louder!” And before I knew it I was shouting at the top of my lungs, “WAKE UP!” After this I continued to pray and I felt the Spirit say, “Declare the name of Jesus to this town.” And so I began to say “Jesus” over and over, and again I felt the Spirit say, “Louder” and once again I found myself shouting the name of Jesus over this town. I shouted it in English, in Czech, in Spanish and in Hebrew over and over. It was one of the most amazing prayer times I have ever experienced.
I have been reading a great book on 24-7 prayer, Red Moon Rising, and I began to feel as though God was calling us here in Hlinsko to prayer 24-7. I shared this with some youth from our church and they told me that there is one youth who has had that on his heart also. And with that we have decided to press into God 24-7 in partnership with the church and youth group and begin continuous prayer the first Sunday of April.
I also now more then ever see the vision for a youth drop-in centre here. There is one particular building that we have been praying about and we will see how God moves and provides. The vision is to see a drop-in open during the week after school and on the weekends with Saturday night being a youth lead worship and praise service and every week a clear presentation and invitation to receive Jesus as Saviour. So for now I am working towards that vision as God leads and laying the foundation in prayer for a mighty outpouring of God in this town and nation.
So much has happened in the two short and very quick months that we have been here it’s hard to know where to begin, so I will share with you what I feel God’s Spirit is speaking to me. Let me begin with our town Hlinsko and the meaning behind the name of our town. The name Hlinsko comes from the Czech word "Hlina" meaning clay. This area was once famous for the high quality potter's clay found here. That got me thinking and I opened the Word of God and was lead to John 9:6-7 NKJV. In this verse, Jesus heals a blind man with his spit and some clay from the ground. As I read this passage I began to wonder, "What if God is going to use Hlinsko (meaning clay) the same way Jesus used the clay? What if God is going to pour out His Spirit on the people of this town in such a way that He then uses them to restore sight to the rest of the nation and around the world." Why Hlinsko? What is so special about this town? Maybe that is the very reason why...there is nothing special about this town, but our God loves to use the ordinary to do extraordinary things ('Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:16 NIV). I can’t tell you why, but I can tell you that I really believe we are standing on the edge of a pouring out of God’s Spirit like few have seen. Here in Hlinsko we have a beautiful hill that overlooks almost the whole town; it’s a great place to go up and be alone. The other day I went up the hill to pray and I began to weep for this town and pray for God to move in the hearts of the people. As I was praying I felt the Holy Spirit whisper to me, “Tell them to wake up!” and so I began to say, “Wake up.” And then I felt the Spirit say, “Louder!” So I said it louder. And again He said, “Louder!” And before I knew it I was shouting at the top of my lungs, “WAKE UP!” After this I continued to pray and I felt the Spirit say, “Declare the name of Jesus to this town.” And so I began to say “Jesus” over and over, and again I felt the Spirit say, “Louder” and once again I found myself shouting the name of Jesus over this town. I shouted it in English, in Czech, in Spanish and in Hebrew over and over. It was one of the most amazing prayer times I have ever experienced.
I have been reading a great book on 24-7 prayer, Red Moon Rising, and I began to feel as though God was calling us here in Hlinsko to prayer 24-7. I shared this with some youth from our church and they told me that there is one youth who has had that on his heart also. And with that we have decided to press into God 24-7 in partnership with the church and youth group and begin continuous prayer the first Sunday of April.
I also now more then ever see the vision for a youth drop-in centre here. There is one particular building that we have been praying about and we will see how God moves and provides. The vision is to see a drop-in open during the week after school and on the weekends with Saturday night being a youth lead worship and praise service and every week a clear presentation and invitation to receive Jesus as Saviour. So for now I am working towards that vision as God leads and laying the foundation in prayer for a mighty outpouring of God in this town and nation.
View of Hlinsko from the hill
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Hopscotch at Home
The girls and I decided to make an indoor hopscotch court today...in the livingroom! We used tape to make the floor and then had a great time!
Now I have to go get groceries and get ready to teach tonight...fun, fun!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Oops!
Yikes! It has been waaaaay too long since I last blogged. I have to make a rule about blogging at least once a week, because this is unacceptable!:) I have to give you a bit of an update...
We have settled in here quite nicely and are really enjoying our life! Hannah and Grace are still speaking in their own made up language because they want to learn Czech so badly. It is neat to hear how real Czech words are starting to pepper their speech though. We registered them for pre school (školka) last week! They got to see their school, meet the Director and even play for a bit. They won't be able to begin until the fall, but they are excited! The other day, Hannah prayed: "Dear God, please help me to learn Czech so that I can make friends here!" ...Talk about ripping a parent's heart out!
The hockey season officially ended last night with a win for the Skulls! Their championship game was last Saturday and it was also a victory! The team was so excited; you would have thought that they won the Stanley Cup. At the final buzzer the team threw their gloves and sticks in the air and were yelling, and hugging and spraying champagne into the crowd! It was a great experience for Jody and, from the outside looking in, it was neat to see how they really love him and are truly happy that he is part of the team. At least a couple of times a week, there is someone from the hockey team calling Jody and wanting to get together with him. It is awesome to see this openness he has with the guys!
Teaching English has been a wonderful experience for me. I am really seeing how it can be used to establish relationships with people. After six weeks of teaching them, I have begun to care for my students in a deeper way and I hope that we have more opportunities to deepen relationships and share about our Hope in life. I find teaching itself, enjoyably challenging. At the end of a class, my brain is on overload! I never realized how difficult it could be to try and explain certain words. It's funny because my speech becomes so simplified as a result of speaking on my student's level, that I sometimes forget that my family and friends can speak English and I talk to them like they are my students. Jody will often look at me and say, "Rachael, I can speak English!"
This last week we have a group from Word of Life Church in New York here. This morning Jody and I were talking about how they don't feel like a group, but like family. This is the church from New York that we visited in December and it is SO wonderful to see them again! Their hearts for ministry, for Hlinsko, for serving, and for Jesus are as big as Texas! Pastor Greg preached on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as Dave and Clarissa (their worship leaders) led worship with our youth group on Saturday. It has been a time of spiritual blessing and refreshing for us as we have prayed with them and fellowshipped with them. We don't want them to leave!
Oh, another update...poor Jahoda our snail died. We are ok with it though...snails don't live forever:)
We have settled in here quite nicely and are really enjoying our life! Hannah and Grace are still speaking in their own made up language because they want to learn Czech so badly. It is neat to hear how real Czech words are starting to pepper their speech though. We registered them for pre school (školka) last week! They got to see their school, meet the Director and even play for a bit. They won't be able to begin until the fall, but they are excited! The other day, Hannah prayed: "Dear God, please help me to learn Czech so that I can make friends here!" ...Talk about ripping a parent's heart out!
The hockey season officially ended last night with a win for the Skulls! Their championship game was last Saturday and it was also a victory! The team was so excited; you would have thought that they won the Stanley Cup. At the final buzzer the team threw their gloves and sticks in the air and were yelling, and hugging and spraying champagne into the crowd! It was a great experience for Jody and, from the outside looking in, it was neat to see how they really love him and are truly happy that he is part of the team. At least a couple of times a week, there is someone from the hockey team calling Jody and wanting to get together with him. It is awesome to see this openness he has with the guys!
Teaching English has been a wonderful experience for me. I am really seeing how it can be used to establish relationships with people. After six weeks of teaching them, I have begun to care for my students in a deeper way and I hope that we have more opportunities to deepen relationships and share about our Hope in life. I find teaching itself, enjoyably challenging. At the end of a class, my brain is on overload! I never realized how difficult it could be to try and explain certain words. It's funny because my speech becomes so simplified as a result of speaking on my student's level, that I sometimes forget that my family and friends can speak English and I talk to them like they are my students. Jody will often look at me and say, "Rachael, I can speak English!"
This last week we have a group from Word of Life Church in New York here. This morning Jody and I were talking about how they don't feel like a group, but like family. This is the church from New York that we visited in December and it is SO wonderful to see them again! Their hearts for ministry, for Hlinsko, for serving, and for Jesus are as big as Texas! Pastor Greg preached on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as Dave and Clarissa (their worship leaders) led worship with our youth group on Saturday. It has been a time of spiritual blessing and refreshing for us as we have prayed with them and fellowshipped with them. We don't want them to leave!
Oh, another update...poor Jahoda our snail died. We are ok with it though...snails don't live forever:)
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